UNFPA in life-saving response to humanitarian crisis triggered by Cyclone Ditwah

■Prioritises women, girls, pregnant women, newborns and people with disabilities

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SEVERE floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have created a fast-evolving humanitarian emergency across Sri Lanka. As of 4 December, a Joint Rapid Assessment by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and UN agencies in Sri Lanka estimates that 1.8 million people have been exposed to flooding, including 362,939 children and 326,703 older persons.

Critically, the affected population also includes an estimated 450,000 women of reproductive age, 144,000 adolescent girls, and 19,513 pregnant women. Many of them now face disrupted health services, damaged facilities, and limited access to antenatal, postnatal, family planning, and emergency obstetric care, putting their health, safety, and well-being at urgent risk.

In emergencies like this, women and girls are disproportionately affected, facing heightened risks to their health, safety, dignity, and protection. The United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) humanitarian mandate focuses on ensuring lifesaving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and preventing and responding to gender-based violence (GBV).