Sri Lankans living in Switzerland joined with the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to provide essential supplies following the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah. A consignment of disaster relief items including high pressure cleaners, kitchen utensil sets, sanitary items, cleaning items, baby care products, school bags, clothes etc. was air-lifted with the support extended by AERO Logistics in Zurich for immediate transport to the Disaster Management Centre in Colombo, on 11 January 2026.
The Mission continues to reach out to communities and facilitate the transfer of financial donations to the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” fund. To date, CHF 32,228.99 has been transferred to the Fund through the Mission. Individual donors as well as members of various community organizations including the Sri Lankan Association of Geneva (SLAG), “Direct Help Water”, “Les Soeurs De Vevey” joined with generous contributions.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) initially launched an appeal for CHF 5 million to support the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) in responding to catastrophic flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The revised appeal has been tripled to CHF 14 million to provide life-saving assistance and long-term resilience building for nearly 600,000 of the most vulnerable individuals.
The Mission further welcomes the contribution of US$4.5 million by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) through the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Colombo and the contribution of US$ 175 000 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as emergency funds to support essential health services through WHO Sri Lanka.
The Mission is working closely with the UN and other International Organizations on possible technical assistance to improve the disaster preparedness capacity of Sri Lanka in the long term.
The Permanent Representative met with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Kamal Kishore regarding technical assistance and enhanced forecasting to mitigate risks. The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) and United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) office in Bangkok, are coordinating on capacity building on landslide risk assessment, remote sensing, and drone and satellite imagery analysis.
The Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva expresses its deep appreciation to Sri Lankans, other nationals, and community groups in Switzerland for their generous and continued support. The Mission also thanks the United Nations and other international agencies for their emergency financial contributions and technical assistance to rebuild the country and strengthen its disaster preparedness capacities.
The Permanent Mission and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Geneva, Switzerland
30 January 2026
