Martin Griffiths releases $14m fund for humanitarian assistance in South Sudan

The implementing agencies will use a targeted area-based approach to ensure that the much-needed support reaches people with the highest severity of needs.

The United Nations Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths released US$14 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the provision of direct humanitarian assistance to 262,521 people in South Sudan who have been affected by increased violence and severe flooding. The interconnected shocks have had a devastating impact on the most vulnerable.

“This funding will support reducing people’s vulnerability and protection risks through activities implemented by the United Nations humanitarian agencies in South Sudan, including IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, and WHO, while ensuring that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need as quickly as possible,” stated Ms. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan.

The implementing agencies will use a targeted area-based approach to ensure that the much-needed support reaches people with the highest severity of needs. Affected people have experienced multiple shocks which have led to secondary and tertiary displacements with increased protection risks, loss of livelihoods, and the erosion of previously provided support. People in five states across South Sudan (Unity, Upper Nile, Northern Bhar el Ghazel, Jonglei and Warrap States) and in the Abyei Administrative Area will benefit from the newly allocated humanitarian funding.

The implementing agencies will use a targeted area-based approach to ensure that the much-needed support reaches people with the highest severity of needs 

The funding will enable scale up of existing multipurpose cash programmes ensuring critical life-saving services including protection, health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene activities for the people most in need. Ms. Nyanti emphasized the need to prioritize people with the most acute needs among internally displace people and host communities. “Women, girls, the elderly, persons with specific needs, and those who stayed behind in hard-to-reach areas due to mobility constraints, often bear the brunt of protracted crises and desperately need support,” she added.

People’s critical humanitarian needs were identified in consultation with several coordination forums - the Humanitarian Coordination Team, the Cash Working Group, the Inter-cluster Coordination Group, and with national NGOs. As part of the efforts to promote localization and the Grand Bargain commitments, at least 15 per cent of these funds will be allocated to national NGOs including women-led organizations who are partners of the receiving UN system members. The funded projects will mainstream protection, gender and inclusion sensitivity, and collective efforts for accountability to the affected population in the response.

“People are going through unimaginable suffering. We cannot leave behind the most vulnerable,” said Ms. Nyanti. South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis has been underfunded across all humanitarian interventions leaving millions of people at risk. “We need long-term solutions to close the rising funding gaps and pave the way towards development,” Ms. Nyanti concluded.

(With Inputs from APO)