In a significant gesture of solidarity and support, a relief cargo from the United Arab Emirates has been officially received in Sri Lanka.

The cargo was accepted by key representatives from the Middle East Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Ms. Ishara De Silva and Ms. Sajeeda Rasheed, both serving as Assistant Directors.

Joining them were  Sunil Jayaweera, a former Director of Preparedness at the Disaster Management Center (DMC), who has returned to volunteer after retirement and . Shan Pathirana, Deputy Director of the Awareness Division at DMC.

The cargo was presented by the Deputy Head of Mission, representing the UAE, highlighting the strong ties and commitment to humanitarian aid between the two nations.

The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center [DMC] confirms that as at 06:00AM today [10th December 2025] 639 persons have lost their lives to floods and landslides that devastated Sri Lanka in the past few days. The number of missing persons reported was 203.

The adverse weather conditions had affected 1.824,771 persons of which 86,040 were being taken care at 878 safety centers established by the government. 5,350 houses had been completely damaged while 86.882 houses had been partially damaged.

The United Nations has pledged US$4.5 million (LKR 1.38 billion) from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to strengthen Sri Lanka’s response to Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on 28 November.

The funds will enable the UN to rapidly scale up emergency food assistance, shelter support, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for the communities most severely affected by the floods and landslides that have impacted the country, the UN stated.

“This funding comes at a critical moment for Sri Lanka,” said Marc-André Franche, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka. “Cyclone Ditwah has upended lives across the country, and many families are still struggling to meet their basic daily needs. The UN was quick to provide support with urgent relief items and equipment.

We are working closely with the Government, civil society partners and the humanitarian community in Sri Lanka to ensure a coordinated response, guided by evidence and priority needs. This emergency funding will help us reach those most severely affected with the support they urgently need”, he said.

Communities across Sri Lanka are continuing to grapple with the widespread impacts of the cyclone,with thousands of families still displaced after extensive damage to housing and infrastructure.

Even as response efforts are underway, latest assessments indicate that the effects of the cyclone are broader and more severe than initially understood, leaving many communities in urgent need of sustained support to fully recover from Cyclone Ditwah.

The UN’s global emergency fund CERF enables rapid funding to humanitarian responders to help support life-saving, humanitarian activities in the initial stages of a sudden-onset crisis.

As the full scale of the devastation becomes clearer, the UN will expand its life-saving assistance to the hardest-hit communities through a broader Humanitarian Priorities Plan, expected to be announced this week.