Sri Lanka is still recovering from destruction and displacement after the Tsunami in December 2004, when now the recurring violence stemming from the deeply rooted unresolved problems after 20 years of civil conflict have brought the country back to the brink of war.  Since December 2005 the volatile security and human rights situation has consistently deteriorated. The renewed and spiralling levels of violence in the North and the East of the country in the second half of 2006 have put the fragile 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) into jeopardy.

The fighting between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE led to significant civilian casualties and new displacement, as well as triggered a multiple local humanitarian crises in areas of northern and north-eastern Sri Lanka. The caseload of new displacement in areas controlled by state and non-state actors exceeded 200,000 people in September 2006, which adds to over 550,000 people already displaced in the country by the conflict and the 2004 Tsunami.

Protection concerns and human rights violations are the main preoccupations of the humanitarian community in Sri Lanka.  Insufficient and irregular access to some areas of northern and north-eastern Sri Lanka, particularly those controlled by the non-state actor, continues to be a major challenge, thus making it very difficult to provide basic humanitarian assistance to the displaced and conflict-affected population. Furthermore, deterioration of safety and security conditions has been exemplified by the unprecedented killing of 17 national staff of the Action against Hunger (ACF) in August 2006, as well as death or disappearances of several other aid workers during the year.

In 2006, OCHA has completed its role of coordinating the Tsunami response and as a part of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator /Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) has focused predominantly on facilitating the response to the complex emergency in the conflict-affected areas of northern and north-eastern Sri Lanka. OCHA Sri Lanka facilitated the elaboration by the IASC Country Team of a stand-alone CHAP (September-December 2006). In addition to the existing four field offices, from which OCHA supports the UN regional Focal Points in Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara and in Kilinochchi, up to two more new field stations are to be opened in the northern Sri Lanka in 2007.  This would further strengthen OCHA’s assistance to the UN Agencies and NGOs operating in those areas, as well as enable more speedy response to identified gaps in humanitarian assistance.

In 2007 OCHA Colombo will constitute an integral part of the RC/HC Office in the Sri Lankan capital, while its field offices will represent the RC/HC on the district level. In this respect, OCHA will facilitate RC/HC’s leadership of the Humanitarian Partnership Team, comprising UN Agencies and the NGO community. It will provide continuous assistance to the RC/HC, the UN Agencies and NGOs with humanitarian information products, including maps and databases. On behalf of the RC/HC, it will continue close cooperation and liaison with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights in strengthening the disaster preparedness capacity of the Sri Lankan Government, as well as facilitating access and other permits for UN and NGO humanitarian agencies operating in the conflict-affected areas.

 

In December 1991, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 46/182, designed to strengthen the United Nation's response to both complex emergencies and natural disasters.  In addition it aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of the UN's humanitarian operations in the field. 

The resolution also created the high level position of Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC).  This new function would combine into a single UN focal point the functions carried out by representatives of the Secretary-General for major and complex emergencies, as well as the UN's natural disaster functions carried out by the UN Disaster Relief Coordinator, UNDRO. 

Soon after, the Secretary-General established the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and assigned the ERC the status of Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs with offices in New York and Geneva to provide institutional support.

Resolution 46/182 also created the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and the Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF) as key coordination mechanisms and tools of the ERC.

As part of the Secretary-General's programme of reform in 1998, DHA was reorganized into the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA.  Its mandate was expanded to include the coordination of humanitarian response, policy development and humanitarian advocacy.

OCHA carries out its coordination function primarily through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which is chaired by the ERC.  Participants include all humanitarian partners, from UN agencies, funds and programmes to the Red Cross Movement and NGOs. The IASC ensures inter-agency decision-making in response to complex emergencies.  These responses include needs assessments, consolidated appeals, field coordination arrangements and the development of humanitarian policies.

Budget and staffing

The core functions of OCHA are supported by 860 staff members in New York, Geneva and in the field.  OCHA's budget for 2007 is $165,000,000, of which about 10 percent or $11,141,561, comes from the regular UN budget and the remainder (more than $99 million, including projects and field activities) from extra-budgetary resources donated by Member States and donor organizations. 
See OCHA in 2006 for more details.

Emergency Relief Coordinator

The functions of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) are focused in three core areas:

(a) policy development and coordination functions in support of the Secretary-General, ensuring that all humanitarian issues, including those which fall between gaps in existing mandates of agencies such as protection and assistance for internally displaced persons, are addressed;

(b) advocacy of humanitarian issues with political organs, notably the Security Council; and

(c) coordination of humanitarian emergency response, by ensuring that an appropriate response mechanism is established, through Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) consultations, on the ground.

John Holmes of Britian was appointed by the Secretary-General to replace Jan Egeland of  Norway as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.  Mr. Holmes took up his post in March 2007.