UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Human Settlements programme is supporting the Government of Sri Lanka in formulating a National Climate Change Policy (NCCP).
The partnership recognizes need for a pro-active strategy developed using a consultative process, a critical catalyst in ensuring continued sustainable development of Sri Lanka. According to the Ministry of Environment the absence of a national policy has become a major obstacle in the country in responding to concerns and repercussions of climate change.
With this new initiative a framework has already been developed incorporating the contributions of the Government of Sri Lanka, Partner organizations and citizens of Sri Lanka. A team of consultants form the University of Peradeniya will now devise the new national policy based on this framework.
In Sri Lanka, according to the department of meteorology, the annual rain fall has decreased by more than 7% in the past 3-4 decades; Annual mean air temperature anomalies have shown significant increasing trends. Weather patterns have increasingly become less predictable, causing floods in certain areas and droughts in others. In January and February 2011 floods displaced over 1.2 million people from their homes in 14 of the districts in Sri Lanka. The long term damage caused to housing, agriculture, industries and infrastructure is yet to be fully enumerated in financial terms.
Within this context, the Ministry of Environment recognizes the need to address through the new policy, the strategies for climate change mitigation, technology transfer, financing and investment mechanism, education, training and awareness, monitoring, assessment and management of impact risks due to climate change.
In 2010, the Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) of UN-HABITAT helped the cities of Batticaloa and Negambo develop Climate Change City Profiles, strategies and action plans. This initiative emphasizes the need for a dialogue between, and a congruent approach at national and local levels, especially with an emphasis on vulnerability of the poor in climate change scenarios. The Green House Gas Assessments conducted were unique in their detail given the size of the two cities, and helped shape the global standard for an Urban Green House Gas Index.
Increased utilization of fossil fuels and deforestation has caused the "greenhouse gases" to increase significantly, in turn increasing the temperature in the earth’s atmosphere. The more obvious impacts are the melting icecaps in polar areas, the continuously rising sea-levels and increased unpredictability of weather patterns leading to natural catastrophes.
Perhaps the biggest “environmental problem” facing the humanity, Climate Change has been underlined as the “the defining challenge of our age” by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
- UN-Habitat Completes 12,500 Houses under Government of India's Grant Assistance
- Self-lighting Solar Lamp for Thiruvaiyaru Community Centre in Kilinochchi District (PDF 252KB)
- Introducing environmentally friendly construction techniques for post-conflict housing and community infrastructure (PDF 382KB)
- Empowering Women to Rebuild Homes in the Conflict Affected Northern Province (PDF 634KB)
- UN-Habitat Helps Families to Construct Environmentally-Friendly Houses in the North of Sri Lanka (PDF 609KB)
- Empowering Female Headed Homeowners to Reconstruct their Damaged Homes (PDF 789KB)
- Building Blocks for a Brighter Tomorrow (PDF 395KB)
- A New Beginning for Returnee Families in the North of Sri Lanka (PDF 424KB)
- Workshop on Incremental Housing (PDF 152KB)
- Government of Australia Supports Mannar Urban Council to Mitigate the Risk of Sea Water Intrusion in a Vulnerable Coastal Village (PDF 286KB)
- A Permanent Home for a Young Family in Killinochchi District (PDF 555KB)
- European Union Delegation Visits UN-Habitat Housing Beneficiaries in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka. (PDF 205KB)
- UN-Habitat Provides Training on Innovative Construction Techniques for Artisans and CBO Members from Mannar District (PDF 167KB)
- UN-Habitat Implements Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Mannar Town in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province (PDF 393KB)
- Training on Geographic Information Systems for Disaster Resilient Urban Planning for Local Authority Officers and Urban Planners (PDF 248KB)
- Disaster Risk Reduction through River Rehabilitation in the Heart of Flood-Prone Balangoda Town (PDF 287KB)
- Case Study: Improving Accessibility through Rehabilitating Internal Roads in the North (PDF 677KB)
- Case Study: Helping Communities Rebuild in Post-Conflict Killinochchi District (PDF 713KB)
- Case Study: Building Hope for the Future: Rebuilding Preschools in Sri Lanka’s Conflict Affected Northern Province (PDF 695KB)
- Rebuilding Homes in Conflict Affected Mullaitivu District (PDF 500KB)
- International Conference on Post Emergency Shelter Reconstruction held in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Video Documentary: Indian Housing Project: Rebuilding Homes in the North and East of Sri Lanka
- Reconstructing Conflict Damaged Homes in the East of Sri Lanka (PDF 228KB)
- The Government of Australia Supports Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Kalmunai Town, in Partnership with UN-Habitat (PDF 410KB)
- Training Programme on Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into Urban Planning and Development for Planning Officials in the North and East of Sri Lanka
- Reviving His Livelihood in a New Home (PDF 299KB)
- Empowering Female Home Owners to Repair Damaged Homes in the North (PDF 262KB)
- Helping Returnee Families in the North with Sanitation Facilities
- Case Study: Empowering Female Home Owners to Reconstruct Houses in Northern Sri Lanka (PDF 225KB)
- A New Beginning for a Young Family (PDF 266KB)
- Case Study: Rebuilding His Own Home: Sivakanthan of Mullaitivu District (PDF 295KB)
- Flood Risk Reduction Pilot Project Completed in Kalmunai Town with Australian Funding
- Eco-friendly home construction for returnees in Northern Sri Lanka
- European Union Launches Housing Project for Returnee Families in Batticaloa District
- Case Study: Stories from the Field: Vallipuram Elumalaipillai, Malayalapuram, Killinochchi District, Northern Sri Lanka (PDF 295KB)
- Toolkit on School and Hospital Building Safety in South Asia
- Case Study: From Temporary Hut to Permanent Home (PDF 160KB)
- Case Study: Stories from the Field: Nalathamby Kanahasooriyan, Hijrapuram, Mullaitivu district, Northern Sri Lanka (PDF 262KB)
- World Habitat Day 2012
- Shelter Support to Conflict-affected IDPs in the North of Sri Lanka: Case Study 1 (PDF 233KB)
- Shelter Support to Conflict-affected IDPs in the North of Sri Lanka: Case Study 2 (PDF 332KB)
- Shelter Support to Conflict-affected IDPs in the North of Sri Lanka: Case Study 3 (PDF 238KB)
- Shelter Support to Conflict-affected IDPs in the North of Sri Lanka: Case Study 4 (PDF 233KB)
- Reconstruction of Three Thousand War Damaged Houses Under Way in Northern Sri Lanka with Funding from the European Union, the Australian Government, the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation
- Nordic funding to Enhance Resilience to Climate Change in Coastal Sri Lankan Cities
- A National Climate Change Policy for Sri Lanka