World Bank approves $129m to boost women, youth in S. Sudan
June 8, 2022 (JUBA) – The World Bank said it has approved $129 million in International Development Association (IDA) grant financing to expand access to economic and livelihood opportunities for the most vulnerable households in South Sudan and strengthen the effectiveness of the national safety net system.
The grant, the financial institution said in a statement issued on Wednesday, includes $25 million from the IDA19 Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR) as well as $30 million from the Crisis Response Window (CRW).
The World Bank Country Manager for South Sudan, Firas Raad said the new financing will help the government gradually establish a nationally owned safety net program.
“It will also help maintain a predictable and reliable national safety net system in the country and increase citizen confidence in national institutions,” he noted.
According to the financial entity, the grant will finance the South Sudan Productive Safety Net for Socioeconomic Opportunities Project (SNSOP) which is a unique four-year operation that builds on the experiences of prior projects that helped lay the foundational building blocks of the safety net system in South Sudan.
The SNSOP is an initiative aiming to consolidate and deepen the development gains achieved to date, provide access to direct income, and increase social and economic opportunities for the poorest and most vulnerable households.
“The World Bank is pleased to continue strengthening social protection mechanisms in South Sudan. This new financing will help the government to gradually establish a nationally owned safety net program. It will also help maintain a predictable and reliable national safety net system in the country and increase citizen confidence in national institutions,” stressed Raad.
Recent external and economic shocks that include severe flooding, the COVID19 pandemic, conflict, and macroeconomic instability have disproportionately impacted vulnerable households and deepened existing vulnerabilities in South Sudan, the financial institution further said in its statement.
For her part, South Sudan’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Josephine Lagu stated that enhancing social and economic opportunities for poor and vulnerable households will contribute to achieving longer-term development outcomes and build their resilience to climate impacts and other shocks.
“It will also make them potential drivers of economic growth, stability, and national transformation in South Sudan,” Joseph said.
The SNSOP will be implemented in 15 out of the 79 counties across the country.
“The SNSOP is a much-needed and timely intervention to support the economic empowerment of female youth in the country. Women are exposed to a wide range of economic and social risks in South Sudan. The emphasis on including young women will help pave the way towards addressing the marginalization of women, bringing them into the mainstream of development,” explained South Sudan’s Gender, Child and Social Welfare minister, Ayaa Benjamin Warille.
The SNSOP, according to the financial entity, seeks to promote resilience and livelihood opportunities for those confronted with multiple shocks by providing cash transfers and income-generating opportunities. It also will build capacity in several key ministries.
(ST)