The Government of Japan has allocated USD 2.6 million under its Japanese Supplementary Budget for two new development projects in Sri Lanka, both to be implemented through UNDP Sri Lanka, the UN agency said on Monday.
The larger of the two packages, worth USD 1.5 million, will fund a climate-smart dairy programme titled “Net-Zero, Nature-Positive Dairy – Climate-Smart Dairy Value Chains through Energy Transition & Nature-Based Solutions.” The initiative is designed to build a low-emission dairy value chain in Kilinochchi in the Northern Province and Nuwara Eliya in the Central Province, directly benefiting 750 smallholder farmers and indirectly reaching more than 5,000 family members, youth entrepreneurs and veterinary officers.
The dairy project will be delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Rural Development and Social Security, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Energy, combining green technologies, sustainable farming practices and market-driven solutions aimed at supporting Sri Lanka’s net-zero development goals.
The second project, worth USD 1.16 million, will enhance the capacity of women deminers operating in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts — two of Sri Lanka’s most conflict-affected areas. According to the UNDP 2023 Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, 70% of people in Kilinochchi and 72% in Mullaitivu remain classified as vulnerable, more than fifteen years after the end of the war.
Titled “Gender Responsive Advancement and Operational Enhancement of Women Deminers in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka,” the programme will be implemented with the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Water Supply. It is expected to introduce advanced technologies that improve the precision and efficiency of mine clearance, accelerating land release for resettlement.
Both projects extend a long-running Japan–UNDP partnership that has prioritised post-war recovery in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
Source: Newswire.
