The
Sub-committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation
Needs in the North & East (SIHRN) met in Kilinochchi
on 15 & 16 December 2002.The meeting was preceded
by the unveiling of the SIHRN name plaque by the Japanese
Ambassador Seiichiro Otsuka and the opening of the
Secretariat by the Norwegian Ambassador Jon Westborg.
The Government delegation
was headed by Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke while
the LTTE delegation was headed by Mr S P Tamilselvan.
A wide array of issues
relevant to humanitarian and rehabilitation needs
of the North and East were discussed by the forum.
The Sub-committee agreed on the organizational structure
of the Secretariat and its staffing requirements.
Further to the appointment of the Director, Mr M S
Ireneuss of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service,
at the last meeting, two additional directors were
appointed, completing the senior management team.
The two Additional Directors are Mr D D Amaratunga
of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service and Mr S L
M Faleel, formerly the Assistant Registrar, South
Eastern University of Sri Lanka.
In order to increase
wider public participation in identifying needs of
the population, the Sub-committee decided to appoint
eight needs assessment committees at the district
level. It is envisaged that the committees will facilitate
greater consultation with the communities in identifying
needs and recommending prioritization.
The initiative taken
by Sri Lanka Telecom to establish a telephone exchange
in Kilinochchi was welcomed by SIHRN. The exchange
will provide a valuable service to the people of the
area.
The Sub-committee also decided to meet with INGOs
and civil society groups on 20 January 2003 and with
members of the donor community on 21 January 2003
to elaborate on the needs of the North and East.
The sub-committee
welcomed the role of the World Bank, ADB and UNDP
to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment for the
entirety of Sri Lanka in preparation for the Sri Lanka
Reconstruction Conference in Tokyo. SIHRN also requested
the multilateral grouping to consult the GOSL and
the LTTE in the execution of this assessment with
regard to the North and East.
Preliminary discussions
were initiated on issues relating to prioritization
processes and selection criteria of projects funded
through SIHRN.
The next meetings
of the sub-committee will be on 15 & 16 January
2003 and 13 & 14 February 2003.
|