UN tsunami chief to assess recovery effort in Sri Lanka and Indonesia

The United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Eric Schwartz will travel to Sri Lanka and Indonesia tomorrow on a 10-day fact-finding mission to see the impact of last December’s tsunami on people’s lives and to gauge the progress of the recovery.

Mr. Schwartz will hold talks with Government officials, representatives of UN agencies, civil society and the business community, while assessing the online financial contribution tracking system, as well as shelter, livelihoods and sustainable timber sourcing.

Meanwhile, in Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s report on the UN’s International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, he urges governments to maintain their support for the development of a tsunami early warning system.