UN Assistant Secretary-General concludes visit

Jordan Ryan, Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), recently concluded a three-day visit to Sri Lanka.

The purpose of his visit was to consult officials and the UN country team, gain insights in the current situation in Sri Lanka and explore ways in which the UN could contribute to the recovery process.

During his visit to the country between July 12-15, Ryan travelled to the Northern districts of Vavuniya and Jaffna, Ryan visited two IDP welfare centres at Menik Farm in Vavuniya. In addition to discussions with the IDPs his visit included consultations with civil and military authorities on ways to accelerate the immediate recovery process in the district and hasten the return of IDPs to their homes.

In Jaffna, the Assistant Secretary General (ASG) visited an IDP welfare centre and a few UNDP project locations including Suthanthirapuram, a resettlement site where UNDP is providing assistance with respect to housing and livelihood working closely with the community. He praised the joint interventions by the Government and UNDP as a 'sustainable way of doing recovery'.

In Colombo, the Assistant Secretary General (ASG) met with senior Government Ministers including MP Basil Rajapaksa, Senior Presidential Advisor, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights and Rishad Baduideen, Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services as well as officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He also held discussions with civil society representatives and women's rights activists.

Ryan congratulated the Government on its efforts to lead the recovery and resettlement process.