Global donor conference in January to fund post-Ditwah recovery

Thursday, 18 December 2025 06:40 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government has decided to convene an international donor conference in January to mobilise additional financial support for the country’s post-disaster recovery following Cyclone Ditwah.

Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando told journalists yesterday the decision was taken at the most recent meeting of the Rebuilding Sri Lanka initiative, as authorities assess the scale of damage and financing needs arising from the cyclone.

The proposed conference is expected to bring together bilateral and multilateral partners, development agencies and investors to support reconstruction and longer-term resilience efforts.

While preliminary estimates have placed the overall damage at between $ 6 billion and $ 7 billion, Dr. Fernando cautioned that the figures remain fluid.

The Deputy Minister stressed that a definitive assessment can only be made once the ongoing damage and loss analysis supported by the World Bank is completed.

“The estimates keep changing, and it is still not possible to give a final number yet,” he said, adding that a comprehensive overview is expected once the World Bank-backed assessment is concluded.

As part of efforts to mobilise domestic and international resources, the Government has already set up the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, which is intended to function as a single, transparent channel for contributions.

“As of Tuesday (16), the Fund has received over Rs. 4.06 billion in donations, excluding individual pledges,” he disclosed.

Dr. Fernando underscored that the Fund operates strictly within a legal and accountability framework, with all inflows and outflows scrutinised in line with the Public Finance Management Act. “This ensures transparency and public confidence as we channel resources towards rebuilding,” he added.

The Deputy Minister also asserted the importance of foreign investment in the recovery phase, noting that external capital and expertise will be critical not only for restoring damaged infrastructure, but also for strengthening resilience against future climate-related shocks.

He said further details relating to the planned international donor conference will be shared soon.