§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the withdrawal from Sri Lanka during the past three years of non-governmental organisations engaged in humanitarian work. [80438]
§ Clare ShortWe support several non-governmental organisations which provide relief and rehabilitation to those affected by the conflict in Sri Lanka. These include Oxfam, Save the Children Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
I am aware of only one organisation having withdrawn from Sri Lanka in recent years. Peace Brigades International, a human rights organisation helping non violent activists, withdrew in April 1998 because it felt unable to carry out its mandate effectively.