Sri Lanka risks full-blown humanitarian emergency, UN agency says
Sri Lanka risks full-blown humanitarian emergency, UN agency says
SriLankais at risk of tipping into afull-blownhumanitariancrisis as the country's economy suffers its biggest shock in decades, the UNhumanitarianoffice (OCHA) said on Friday.
SriLanka's 22 million people are suffering the country's most serious financial turmoil in seven decades, with severe shortages of fuel, medicines and other essentials amid record inflation and a devaluation of its currency.
Also read |Exclusive | There is a man-made economic crisis in Sri Lanka, says PM Ranil Wickremesinghe
"SriLankais facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. We are concerned that this could develop into afull-blownhumanitarianemergency", OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told a regular UN news conference in Geneva.
"SriLanka's worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 was already taking a heavy toll", he said, pointing out that agriculture and livelihoods had been severely affected.
Many people are now "going without adequate food", Laerke said, also warning that "families' access to health services, protection and children's education is at stake."
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In response to a request from the government, theUnited Nations on Thursday said it had launched a plan to provide 47.2 million dollars of assistance between June and September to 1.7 million people worst hit by the crisis.
Watch |Global Leadership Series: Sri Lanka's economic crisis: A humanitarian emergency?
Christian Skoog, a representative inSriLankaforUNICEF, theUnited Nationschildren'sagency, said 70 per cent ofSriLankan households had already reduced food consumption and as many as one in two children required some form ofemergencyassistance.
As per an AFP report, the government has already defaulted on its 51 billion dollars in foreign debt, and a critical shortage of foreign currency has left traders unable to import adequate supplies of food, fuel and other essential goods.
UNICEF's representative inSriLankaChristian Skoog also warned that the situation was dire, with 17 per cent of children under five in the country already malnourished and stunted before the crisis.
Also read |Sri Lanka crisis: EU to provide humanitarian funding; Bangladesh provides medical supplies
He said the UN children's agency, especially sought to help 56,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
"Potentially they could all be at risk of dying", he told reporters via video link.
Laerke highlighted that "theSriLankan economy is on the brink of collapse".
"We call for international solidarity with the people ofSriLanka", he added.
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