Japan will join the Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance (CCHA) set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to spearhead relief work.

Japan, a member of the Co-Chairs to the Sri Lankan peace process would join the CCHA next month, Human Rights Ministry sources confirmed.

The CCHA chaired by the Minister of Human Rights and Disaster Management is a high-level committee appointed to deal with important policy issues concerning humanitarian assistance. The CCHA meets monthly and is attended by Defence Secretary, Secretaries of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development, the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services; the Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES), a representative from the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP), the Chairman of the Co-Chairs and Ambassador, United States of America, Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN; heads of agencies of the UNHCR, OCHA, ECHO, ICRC and the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA).