July 27, Colombo: The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) is in urgent need of funds to enable Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) to provide assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Sri Lanka as only 40 percent of an emergency appeal made in April was covered with contributions received to date, including pledges in the pipeline.

In a report released by the IFRC yesterday, the organization said an emergency appeal was launched in April seeking USD 3.4 million to enable the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society to provide assistance to about 5,000 families (25,000 people) for 24 months.

The IFRC says the United Nations' decision to close the UNDP regional office in Colombo over the protest outside the UN compound in Colombo will bring potential ramifications to much needed support to Sri Lanka including to post-conflict affected areas.

Though the situation needs to be closely monitored for any potential impact on humanitarian aid operations in the country, there have been no disruptions to Red Cross operations so far, the IFRC says.

However, the relevance and importance of the post conflict recovery programme and SLRC's unique position has come into play now more than ever, the report adds.

Read the full report.