The United Nations said Thursday it is supporting governments in South and Southeast Asia as they respond to catastrophic flooding and landslides that have killed more than 1,500 people and affected nearly 11 million.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters the organization and its partners are working closely with authorities in Sri Lanka, delivering food, hygiene supplies, kitchen sets and water tanks, while early recovery efforts and damage assessments continue.
In Vietnam, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated $2.6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to bolster aid in the hardest‑hit provinces, including shelter, water, sanitation and food security.
Dujarric said the UN is also assisting Indonesia’s government‑led response to devastating floods in Aceh, despite major logistical challenges, coordinating on health, water and sanitation with local partners.
The UN pledged to remain in close contact with national authorities as the region faces its worst flooding in years, driven by relentless rains and a tropical cyclone that battered Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.