Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

Evidenced based decision making throughout the humanitarian programme cycle addresses the needs of affected people

Expected results

R1. Improved coordination and support to joint needs assessments, joint strategic response planning, and joint monitoring and reporting of collective results

R2. Reinforced operational support to humanitarian leaders, with enhanced quality of contextual analysis, improved quality and timeliness of information, and strengthened context-specific coordination mechanisms

R3. Adequate resources are mobilised for humanitarian action and pooled funds are utilised strategically, predictably and in a timely manner to support humanitarian action

R4. Improved engagement across the humanitarian system around the protection of affected people, with improved protection coordination, sustained analysis, monitoring and advocacy on humanitarian access, and system readiness.

R1.I1. Revised Initial Rapid Response Needs Assessment (IRNA) tool is rolled out

R2.I1. 95 per cent of humanitarian bulletins contain risk analysis.

R2.I2. 15 reports shared from IRNAs are undertaken with revised tool

R3.I1. 85 per cent of all humanitarian funding is allocated to projects within the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan

R3.I2. 100 per cent of pooled fund disbursements directed towards priorities outlined in allocation strategies

R4.I1. Monthly humanitarian access snapshots published - containing information and analysis regarding the operating environment including violence against aid workers, access constraints and bureaucratic impediments - to inform action and advocacy.

R4.I2. 10 trainings / briefings conducted on UN Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for personnel from UNMISS, UN Agencies and NGOs.

Target group / Beneficiaries

The 2018 HRP (Humanitarian Response Plan) encompasses projects to be undertaken by 167 organisations - 11 UN agencies, 61 international NGOs and 95 national NGOs. Noting that not every organisation working on humanitarian response participates in the HRP, OCHA's coordination effort engages around 200 actors, including:

- more than 80 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs)

- more than 100 national NGOs (NNGOs)

- 12 UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes

- relevant authorities (including key government line ministries and the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, as well as the opposition's Relief Organisation for South Sudan (ROSS), both in Juba and at field-level), and community and faith-based organisations

- The ICRC and National Red Cross Societies, including the South Sudan Red Cross.

Indirect beneficiaries are the estimated 6 million people targeted for humanitarian assistance in 2018 provided the HRP is fully funded. The Austrian funding would benefit roughly 1,982 people.

Activities

Ativities include:

Develop and prepare revised IRNA tool.

Preparation of context updates for Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).

Promote full funding of the 2018 HRP, including through support to HC fundraising efforts, outreach to existing and potential donors, and periodic information updates and analysis of the funding situation, including in Humanitarian Bulletins.

Undertake access negotiations with all parties to the conflict in order to facilitate humanitarian partners' operations in contested locations, advocating with relevant interlocutors to remove access constraints for safe, unhindered and immediate access.

Deliver joint Access/UN-Civil Military Coordination training for humanitarian partners, armed actors and UNMISS (force and civilians).

Context

As the conflict in South Sudan enters its fifth year, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, on a costly trajectory for the country’s people and their outlook on the future. The compounding effects of widespread conflict and sustained economic decline have further diminished the capacity of people to cope with threats to their health, safety and livelihoods. The deepening of the crisis, bringing shocks such as disease outbreaks and the breakdown of markets, has compromised the provision of critical services such as healthcare, education and rule of law.

Ongoing fighting and surges of violence in new areas have forced people to flee their homes in sustained waves. Some 4 million people – nearly one in three South Sudanese – have now been displaced, including 1.9 million who are internally displaced and more than 2 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries. Up to 60 per cent of the displaced are estimated to be children, who continue to suffer the brunt of the crisis.

The conflict in South Sudan has taken a brutal and deadly toll on the civilian population. Parties to the conflict continue to flagrantly disregard their obligations to protect civilians under international humanitarian and human rights law. Since the July 2016 outbreak of conflict in Juba, multiple locations across the country have seen heavy clashes, often involving targeted attacks against civilians, including sexual violence.

The operating environment is characterized by violence against aid workers and their assets, looting and interference in humanitarian operations, growing bureaucratic impediments and access constraints. Despite intensive engagement regarding the critical imperative to ensure the safety and security of aid workers operating in South Sudan, humanitarians continue to be subjected to threats and attacks. At least 86 aid workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.