Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met a delegation from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at Temple Trees to discuss ongoing efforts to support the recovery of the education sector from the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement reported by Ada Derana.
The discussions, held on June 12, focused on the implementation of activities outlined in the report titled “Cyclone Ditwah Education Emergency Response Plan: Phase 1 Progress Updates (January–April 2026).” The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress achieved during the initial phase of the response and to discuss future interventions aimed at supporting children and schools affected by the disaster.
The Prime Minister and the UNICEF delegation also exchanged views on strengthening collaboration to ensure the continuity of education and the well-being of affected children, the statement said. The UNICEF delegation included Emma Brigham, UNICEF Representative, and Begona Arellano, Deputy Representative, with other UNICEF officials in attendance.
The Temple Trees meeting follows a June 4 engagement at which Dr. Amarasuriya met the UNICEF Executive Board delegation on child legal protection and malnutrition and builds on the June 9 directive to officials to submit a comprehensive damage report on every Ditwah-affected school within a week. The Phase 1 plan covers the four months from January through April 2026, the window during which the post-cyclone education response was first scaled up across affected districts.
The UNICEF education track now runs in parallel with the IOM-funded cash assistance programme for 4,000 Ditwah-affected families across seven districts and with the same June 12 cluster of Temple Trees meetings at which the Prime Minister also received Vedda community leader Uru Warige Wannila Aththo on indigenous land rights and Hennanigala relief gaps.
Source: Ada Derana — PM Harini meets UNICEF delegation to discuss education sector recovery.
