ADB, World Bank and JBIC prepare for reconstruction

 
As the relief effort in Sri Lanka is now largely meeting the immediate needs of survivors of the tsunami, the development banks are gearing up for reconstruction, including helping survivors rebuild their lives.
Along with physical reconstruction of infrastructure, this includes restoring livelihoods and helping victims deal with post-tsunami trauma, described by some agency staff here as perhaps the most important single issue.
This phase of assistance also includes resolving issues such as lost identification papers and property titles, the ADB said in a press release.

A joint needs assessment mission is under way this week involving the Sri Lankan government, the United Nations, ADB, the World Bank, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) as well as the private sector and civil society, including non-governmental organizations. Specialist teams will travel to different parts of the country to assess sector-specific needs.The agencies aim to present a joint report that will build on and deepen an initial assessment prepared by the government to support the recently established Task Force to Rebuild the Nation.

The task force includes several high-powered businessmen to speed up planning and project implementation. The development banks are also preparing new financing for Sri Lanka. ADB is readying new emergency assistance of between US$100 million and US$150 million, expected to be approved in May 2005, says Alessandro Pio, ADB's country director for Sri Lanka. Overall, ADB is offering up to $675 million to help finance priority reconstruction and rehabilitation work in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
The World Bank is scheduled to approve a US$75 million emergency recovery credit in late February, says Peter Harrold, the bank's country director for Sri Lanka.

 
 
 
  Japan has already committed US$500 million to relief and reconstruction work in affected areas.
At yesterday's coordination meetings, ADB's Pio said that the joint report needs to be "locally driven, not centrally driven" and that field missions would emphasize local participation.

JBIC's director-general for a region that includes Sri Lanka Kazushi Hashimoto, added that close coordination was needed with the UN systems as well as bilateral donors.

ADB is joining several joint missions to various parts of the country, in both the south and the northeast, this week and expects to be involved in several sectors, including transport, livelihood, education and community development in coastal areas, says Mr. Pio. ADB President Tadao Chino, who last week visited Aceh, Indonesia, is due to arrive in Colombo on January 15 and visit tsunami-affected areas.