The United Nations and its humanitarian partners have formally wrapped up the Humanitarian Priorities Plan (HPP), the coordinated emergency response launched in December after Cyclone Ditwah, NewsFirst reported. The mission reached around 575,000 of the most vulnerable people across Sri Lanka, particularly in Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Kegalle, while raising US$ 28.5 million against a US$ 35.3 million funding requirement.

Cyclone Ditwah struck in December 2025, unleashing widespread flooding and landslides across all 25 districts. At the peak, more than 2.2 million people were affected, including an estimated 522,000 children. Over 640 lives were lost and 173 individuals remained reported missing as of January.

The HPP, launched on December 11, 2025 at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, brought together 83 partner organisations and coordinated closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Disaster Management Centre and the National Disaster Relief Services Centre. Emergency cash assistance helped thousands cover food and clothing, while displaced households received transitional shelters with access to clean water and sanitation.

Donor solidarity included Australia, the United States, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Norway, alongside major international funds and UN agencies. More than 20 countries provided bilateral assistance and 19 nations deployed search-and-rescue teams or offered technical and material support.

The closure of the emergency phase comes the same week Japan and UNDP launched a new $1.33 million Build Back Better project for the Central Province and a day after Parliament agreed to extend its preparedness probe through September. Officials have emphasised that emergency wrap-up does not signal the end of recovery — the medium-term reconstruction, livelihoods and resilience-building agenda continues through the government’s resettlement push, Australia–FAO vegetable-farmer recovery work, and the CBSL business-survey signal that the private sector is absorbing the Ditwah shock alongside the Middle East conflict.

Sources: UN, Partners End Emergency Response to Cyclone Ditwah — NewsFirst, June 11.