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Durable Solutions
Progress Report
The Bulletin of the United Nations Inter-Agency IDP
Working Group
No. 5: August 6, 2002 |
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| The UN Inter-Agency IDP Working
Group meets every fortnight in Colombo to discuss and
co-ordinate responses with the Government in support
of IDP returnees. |
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RETURN OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
(IDPs)
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Based on most
recent estimates the UN Inter-Agency IDP Working Group
continues to use the conservative estimate of 103,000-plus
internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have returned
home, relocated elsewhere or remain in transit since
Jan. 1, 2002. The spontaneous movement of IDPs towards
villages of origin continued during July in districts
throughout the North and East. UNHCR continues to
maintain that conditions are not yet right for large-scale,
organised return of IDPs and refugees. In Jaffna,
Trincomalee and north Vavuniya NFRI packages were
distributed to more than 3,200 families since the
beginning of June. |
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| IDP SPONTANEOUS RETURN |
| • Estimated IDP
Movement from January-June 2002: 103,484 |
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| IDP REGISTRATION |
| • 122,849 forms
received as of 5 August, 2002 |
The IDP registration
process is completing the enumeration stage and about
to move into the data?entry stage. A company is currently
being selected to enter the expected 250,000 registration
forms into a database. This is not an insignificant
step, requiring a team of one to two hundred data
entry operators to enter each form twice to ensure
a strict level of accuracy. This work will require
two to three months and should be completed by November.
Initially a representative portion of the forms will
be entered to provide a snapshot of the IDP situation.
The MRRR’s Policy, Planning and Co-ordination
Unit is expected to generate a preliminary report
containing information based on a random sample of
10 percent of the IDPs surveyed. This should be ready
within three weeks of entry (around mid-September).
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| MINE ACTION |
The UNDP
met with both the GoSL (National Steering Committee)
and National Mine Action regarding the establishment
of guidelines pertaining to mine clearance and awareness.
Progress has been made in relation to donor and partner
co-ordination to mobilise additional resources and
capacity building.
The nucleus of the National Mine Action Programme
has established its presence in Colombo. The team
consists of a Chief Technical Adviser, Mr Alex van
Roy, who along with Ms Camilla Madsen, the technical
adviser for Mine Risk Education, will be based in
Colombo. The technical advisers at the field level
are Ms Leonie Barnes who will be based in Vavuniya
and responsible for the North Eastern area and the
Vanni, and Mr Tim Horner who will be responsible for
and based in Jaffna.
The National Mine Action Programme will be led by
a National Steering Committee, and administered by
the National Mine Action Office. The role of the office
will be to accredit, license, coordinate and monitor
activities relating to mine action. The office will
serve mine action in Sri Lanka through advice and
the provision of a positive environment for the conduct
of mine action. Administration of this role will be
devolved at the district level in Vavuniya and Jaffna
where small district mine action offices will be established
within the GA office. The National Mine Action Programme
will work initially to locate mine-affected areas
and identify priorities for mine action in relation
to the movement of IDPs and for conflict-affected
persons in those mine and UXO affected areas.
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| Mine Risk Education |
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Currently operational |
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Sarvodaya –
Jaffna. (IDP)
TRRO –
Jaffna Drama and Theatre
SCF
– UK Child to child programme, radio broadcasts.
White Pigeon – Vanni, Community
and IDP
INTERFAITH –
Vavuniya Workshop for MRE, Poster competition
UNICEF – A9 road sign posting |
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| Mine Clearance |
• |
Currently operational |
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Ronco – Jaffna.
HDU –Vanni area.
MAG
HALO Trust –Will conduct
Dangerous Area survey with a view to establishing
an integrated manual and mechanical mine clearance
programme. |
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| Future |
• |
The following agencies are in country
conducting preliminary assessment missions: |
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DCA (Danish Church Aid) –
mine clearance
MAT (Mines
Awareness Trust) – mine risk education
Handicap International (France and Belgium)
mine clearance and MRE
Geneva Centre
for International Humanitarian Demining
FSD Swiss Federation for Demining
DDG Danish Demining Group |
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| FOOD SECURITY |
FAO reports
based on a visit to Jaffna in July indicate that although
there has been widespread destruction, deforestation
and mine sowing, the state of agricultural productivity
can be promising with appropriate interventions made
to supplement the already resilient farmers organisations
in operation. As the peace matures, confidence in
the future of this region to produce agricultural
goods also rises. However FAO indicates that major
inputs of seed, tools, sprayers, water pumps, fishing
gear and livestock improvements are needed to assist
the large numbers of IDP returnees. The FAO also reports,
based on a July trip to Hambantota, that more than
3,000 wells had been dug in the district but the majority
of them had high saline levels therefore making them
unusable. The area has suffered a severe reduction
in rainfall in both 2000 and 2001 and poor Yala season
rains in 2002. However the report notes that there
are ways of harnessing the existing agricultural and
livestock resources in more efficient ways to stave
off food and water scarcity problems.
Anticipating the likelihood of increased return if
the peace process continues to move forward, the FAO
has prepared a prospective package of inputs intended
to benefit approximately 35,000 farm families this
year. These packages include seeds, tools and sprayers,
and a new herbicide for paddy that is more environmental
friendly, cheaper and more effective than more commonly
used herbicides. It is essential that returnees receive
seeds before the beginning of the Maha season in October
if they are to have the opportunity for a good harvest.
Tools to clear land that in some cases has been un-tilled
for 10 or more years are needed even earlier, so that
the work can begin as soon as possible.
Another urgent need, according to the FAO report,
is to re-train returnee farmers and locally stationed
agricultural officers, extend credit to workers in
the fishing industry and provide equipment such as
motorcycles and solar refrigerators (to store vaccines
for livestock). The World Food Programme is also addressing
some of these issues.
In late-July, WFP conducted field visits to the Vavuniya
area to identify Food-for-Work sites where the focus
would be on rehabilitating agricultural infrastructure
such as minor irrigation tanks, channels, bunds and
agricultural rural roads. WFP subsequently sent two
missions to evaluate 105 potential sites in five districts
of Vavuniya (including Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Mannar
and Vavuniya) for mine safety. Based on discussions
with local residents 90% of the land was deemed safe
and therefore work will begin in mid-August. WFP will
commence by conducting briefings and training sessions
with the appropriate people in the field regarding
how Food-for-Work programs operate.
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| VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES |
There are still
concerns regarding the fate of refugees spontaneously
returning from India. Representative Neill Wright,
UNHCR, travelled to New Dehli to meet with the UNHCR
Charge de Mission in India. Among the issues discussed
were how to strengthen operations between UNHCR offices
in India and Sri Lanka and to look into preparations
for the future facilitation of voluntary repatriation
from Tamil Nadu camps to Sri Lanka. |
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| TRIPLE R FRAMEWORK |
The GoSL convened
a workshop on Strategies and Modalities of Implementation
Coordination of the “Triple R” Programme
2/3 August, 2002. The workshop was chaired by Mr.
Bradman Weerakoon, the Secretary to the Prime Minister
and Commissioner-General for the Coordination of the
“Triple R”. Discussion focused on the
role of the NCCR and the proposed organisational structure
and implementing mechanism for coordination. Some
of the noteworthy results included announcement that
the World Bank has a reserve of funds that will be
allocated to Sri Lanka for rehabilitation and development
work forthcoming in the last quarter of 2002. Other
discussion items included ways to define roles and
priorities of state agencies operating at all levels
(central, provisional and district); lack of resources
to accommodate the immediate needs of IDP returnees;
presence of mines/UXOs; necessity of including LTTE
in the implementing process; the importance of a ‘bottom-up’
approach; resource constraints; UAS distribution;
institutional capacity limitations; the necessity
of more relief and rehabilitation work; and high expectations
from IDP survey results. |
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| CONTACT DETAILS |
| For further information on UN programmes
for returnees, please contact the following focal points
for the various sectors identified in the UN-Government
Joint Strategy to Meet the Immediate Needs of the Returning
IDPs: |
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Agriculture (FAO) –
Mr. James Breen, Emergency Co-ordinator. Telephone:
580798; e-mail:
FAO-LKA@field.fao.org
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Co-ordination & Capacity
Building (Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator) --
Patrick Vandenbruaene, Humanitarian Adviser, and Mr.
Matthew Todd, Assistant. Telephone: (94) 01-580691;
e-mails: patrick.vandenbruaene@undp.org,
matthew.todd@undp.org
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Education (UNICEF) –
Mr. Jean-Luc Bories, Head of Programme, Children Affected
by Armed Conflict. Telephone: (94) 1 551331; e-mail:
jlbories@unicef.org
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Employment (ILO) – Ms.
Berit Mortensen, Crisis & Reconstruction Specialist.
Telephone: (94) 580691-7, ext. 293; e-mail:
berit@ilo.org
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| Food (WFP) – Mr.
Hakan Tongul, Assistant Country Director. Telephone:
586244; e-mail: Hakan.Tongul@wfp.org |
| Health (WHO) –
Dr. Lokky Wai. Telephone: (94) 01-502319; e-mail: wr@who.lanka.net |
Non-Food Relief (UNHCR) –
Ms. Jennifer Thambayah, Associate Programme Officer.
Telephone: (94) 1-683968; e-mail:
thambaya@unhcr.ch
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Mine Action (UNDP) –
Mr. Alex van Roy, Chief Technical Assistant. Telephone:
(94) 1 580691, ext. 286; e-mail: alex.vanroy@undp.org
Leonie Barnes (UNDP) – Vavuniya
(leonie.barnes@undp.org)
Tim Horner (UNDP) – Jaffna (tim.horner@undp.org)
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Protection (UNHCR) –
Mr. Michael Lindenbauer, Senior Protection Officer.
Telephone: (94) 1 683968; e-mail: lindenba@unhcr.ch
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| Water & Sanitation (UNICEF)
-- Mr. Jean-Luc Bories, Head of Programme,
Children Affected by Armed Conflict. Telephone: (94)
1 551331; e-mail:
jlbories@unicef.org |
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