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 Goonatillake 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.
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Violations Committed
by the GOSL - 351
