Government conducts needs assessment of its capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance using a participatory approach

South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

24 August, 201

Three field workshops were conducted by the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) and UNICEF in Wau, Malakal and Torit. These workshops fed inputs into the recently concluded national workshop organized on 24 August in Juba. The aim of the workshops was to allow the Government. to assess needs leading to improved institutional capacity on humanitarian situation management. Senior SSRRC travelled to various states, interacted with field functionaries, discussed the challenges and opportunities and agreed on recommendations, and the next steps.

After the six years interim period under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), South Sudan gained its independence on 9 July 2011. Despite some notable progress, the broader context in South Sudan remains challenging as internal tensions and natural disasters often lead to significant displacements as has been seen in the recent past. Children and women are most vulnerable in a complex emergency environment. In the absence of proper coordination mechanisms and early warning systems, children and women continue to be severely affected in times of emergency.

As part of national capacity development initiatives for 2011, Emergency Preparedness and Response is one of the areas where UNICEF and the Government are working together to strengthen disaster management capacity in South Sudan. An innovative approach has been adopted by the Government and UNICEF for identification of gaps and assessing needs by organising participatory workshops with staff from various institutions, conducting literature review and arranging consultation meetings with various humanitarian stakeholders and key government informants. The SSRRC representatives and UNICEF avoided the top-down approach, and provided an opportunity to the SSRRC staff from State and County levels to voice their views and perceptions of what their current real needs were.

“UNICEF endeavours to support the most marginalised and vulnerable populations especially women & children in emergency situations. It’s imperative that the planning for preparedness and response for humanitarian needs reflects the actual needs from the ground. The recently concluded workshops allowed the government to assess its own capacity to provide emergency relief support to affected population in time of need” says Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, Director of UNICEF, South Sudan.

The main purpose of the national workshop was to review and decide on the needs identified by SSRRC in all States and prioritize them to enable development of a work plan for the next one year. Discussions around the possible institutional set up of the emergency relief government agency were also conducted during the workshop. A special session was held on the setting up of a multi-agency supervisory working group, comprising of Government and Humanitarian Country Team members to oversee the implementation of the commitments pledged by all parties involved.

“The South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission appreciates the support UNICEF continues to provide towards strengthening the capacity for disaster management and risk mitigation in South Sudan. Particularly valuable was the consultative process with the SSRRC field staff in all 10 States” says Mrs Yar Paul K. Awar, Deputy Chair of the SSRRC.