ADB Bolsters Partnership for Post-Cyclone Recovery 📈

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met with the newly appointed Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director, Ms. Shannon Cowlin, to discuss urgent recovery efforts and long-standing development cooperation. • Emergency Disaster Response The PM expressed gratitude for ADB's timely assistance following Cyclone Ditwah. ADB has already mobilized a US$ 3 million grant for immediate relief and a US$ 40 million emergency facility to finance essential imports like food and medicine. • Reconstruction & Key Sectors ADB reiterated its commitment to the post-cyclone recovery phase, focusing on: Infrastructure: Rebuilding and reconstruction of damaged assets (estimated total losses of US$ 1.6 Bn - US$ 7 Bn). Education: Strengthening the education sector to ensure long-term resilience and human capital development. Power & Energy: Support for independent, sustainable electricity utilities and renewable energy acceleration. • Economic Outlook The meeting highlighted ADB’s alignment with Sri Lanka’s national priorities, following a 5% GDP growth rebound in 2024. ADB remains a key partner with a total commitment of US$ 12.7 Bn to date across 499 projects. _Note: Post-cyclone damage assessments are based on provisional 2025/2026 data._