Attachments
Highlights
Household food security survey
• WFP published its latest Household Food Security Survey. The survey revealed that 16 percent of households were moderately food insecure in December 2024. To cope with the lack of food, 38 percent of households employed at least one livelihood-based coping strategy.
Operational Updates
Rice fortification
• The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, visited the National Food Promotion Board’s fortified rice production facility in Anuradhapura to observe the recent enhancements made to the fortification process. The facility now operates with advanced machinery, provided by WFP, ensuring the precise fortification of rice with vital micronutrients, including iron and folic acid. This upgrade, supported by WFP's technical assistance, significantly strengthens the facility's capacity to address iron-deficiency anaemia and improve nutritional outcomes.
• The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka convened a highlevel inter-ministerial dialogue to address critical policy and implementation barriers impeding the national rice fortification agenda. Senior officials from the Ministries of Health, Education, and Agriculture, along with the National Food Promotion Board and WFP, emphasized the urgency of generating rigorous, context-specific evidence to inform scale-up decisions. The session marked a pivotal moment for mobilizing multisectoral alignment and accelerating the transition from pilot to national implementation.
Adaptation for Resilience (ADAPT4R)
• WFP presented the local adaptation plans at a national workshop held with key national stakeholders, empowering the Government to target and implement projects. The workshop was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Environment, Partnerships Secretariat for World Food Programme Cooperation (PSWFPC), and WFP. The workshops, held in Monaragala and Mullaitivu districts, aimed to foster wider stakeholder engagement and ensure robust validation at a district level.
Social protection
• WFP led the coordination of the Sri Lanka Policy Dialogue on social protection, together with the social protection working group and the National Planning Department. The event brought together diverse stakeholders to exchange views and contribute to shaping the new National Social Protection Strategy: Road to 2030. Key discussions focused on areas such as climate action, gender and disability inclusion, nutrition, digital transformation, economic inclusion and access to jobs, social insurance and care support systems and financing social protection.