South Sudan

South Sudan has been a priority country for the Swiss Humanitarian Aid since its creation in July 2011. Switzerland mainly focuses on food security and livelihoods, protection of civilians and promotion of human rights, as well as peace- and nation-building.

© FDFA

  

South Sudan is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The country lives its fourth year of conflict, marked with violence and massive population displacement in and outside the country. Since February 2017, the state of famine was declared in several parts of the world’s youngest nation. 

Various units of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) together with other Departments of the Confederation are involved in efforts to provide emergency relief and recovery (SDC Humanitarian Aid), development assistance (SDC South Cooperation), conflict resolution support (Human Security Division) and the expertise of staff officers and humanitarian mine clearance specialists (Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport – DDPS).

Food security and livelihood

South Sudan suffers from a chronic lack of food security for a variety of reasons: conflict and violence, rising prices for basic foodstuffs, difficult humanitarian access, logistical constraints and climate change. SDC’s aim is to help securing safe access to food for the most vulnerable and to help producers to become self-sufficient. It supports projects of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), its principal multilateral partners in the food security sector in South Sudan. SDC also contributes to the work of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and international NGOs in training farmers in the diversification of agricultural products in the province of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and in the Equatorias. It also supports food production and income generation for the urban poor in and around Juba is another example of livelihood support.

Agriculture and food security

Protection of civilians and promotion of human rights

SDC aims at ensuring the protection of civilians, focusing on the immediate needs of the most vulnerable victims and displaced persons; and empowering communities to create a safer environment for themselves. The safety of women and children is a matter of particular concern. Gender-responsive interventions and the prevention as well as the response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are priorities. Switzerland is committed to ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for these vulnerable populations.

Furthermore the DDPS has seconded several staff officers as well as humanitarian demining specialists to the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS).

Fragility and violence impede poverty reduction

Peace- and nation-building

The Human Security Division (HSD), together with SDC supports peacebuilding efforts in South Sudan. It focusses on the following key areas:

  • Fostering spaces for genuine and inclusive dialogue among South Sudanese constituencies that respond to citizens’ needs for peaceful coexistence, social cohesion, governance, truth, justice and accountability;

  • where possible, support viable and equitable options towards nation-building;

  • ensure greater conflict sensitivity among donors and implementing partners intervening in South Sudan. 

Approach and partners

Switzerland takes a holistic approach by combining humanitarian aid, development cooperation, multilateral instruments, diplomatic measures as well as peace-building approaches. Partners include:

  • International and national NGOs
  • UN Agencies
  • Civil society organisations

History

The new state of South Sudan was created on 9 July 2011 following several decades of civil war. It became the 193rd member of the United Nations and the 54th member of the African Union. Before this, as early as 1994, the Swiss Humanitarian Aid was assisting victims of war in the region. A Programme Office was set up in Juba in 2006, which in 2011 became a Cooperation Office. The same year it opened a programme office in Aweil, a city located in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, devoted to water and sanitation projects. Early 2017, the SDC decided to close it after the successful completion of all projects.

Current projects

Object 1 – 12 of 17

Mercy Corps: Strengthening Resilience in Agriculture, Livelihoods and Markets through Local Institutions in Greater Mundri

01.02.2023 - 31.01.2026

To sustainably move households out of chronic vulnerability, poverty and food insecurity by facilitating economic recovery and support for smallholder farmers and non-farm microenterprises. The support will consist of market system development (MSD), value chain development, vocational skills development and improved methods of agriculture, such as agro-ecology and conservation. The intervention will focus on women and youth and is highly relevant in a post-conflict context like Mundri (South Sudan).


Contribution to UNHCR Programme Budget 2023-2024 (earmarked)

01.01.2023 - 31.12.2024

UNHCR is one of Switzerland’s key multilateral partners due to its unique mandate by the General Assembly of United Nations to provide protection and assistance to refugees, asylum seekers, refugee returnees, and stateless persons. The strategic direction 2022-26 concretise the overall mandate of UNHCR for the upcoming years. Contributing to these directions allows Switzerland to achieve in particular the human development goal defined in the Dispatch to Parliament on International Cooperation for 2021-24.


2023 Annual Allocation to WFP Country Strategic Plans - Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan

01.01.2023 - 31.12.2023

Against historic levels of food security due to conflicts, climate change and COVID-19, Switzerland supports annually in 28 SDC priority countries operations of the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide humanitarian and development assistance. It funds indistinctively Country Strategic Plans, incorporating all WFP programmes or projects, based on affected population needs and potential synergies with other local partners, especially national governments and civil society.


Allocation of SDC Funding in 2023 to ICRC Operations in Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan

01.01.2023 - 31.12.2023

SDC funding to ICRC operations allows the International Committee of the Red Cross to respond proactively and to provide immediate protection and assistance for people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. In line with the Good Humanitarian Donorship principles, Switzerland recognizes the necessity of predictable and flexible funding to respond to changing needs in humanitarian crises.


CARE International: Breaking the Silence

01.01.2023 - 31.12.2024

The proposed project seeks to address key drivers of GBV, promote help-seeking behaviour, access to quality services for survivors and promote economic empowerment of vulnerable women and girls. Some key activities will include the provision of health, psychosocial, and protection support in one (1) existing safe house and three (3) women and girl-friendly spaces (WGFSs), the provision of unconditional emergency cash support to vulnerable survivors and livelihood opportunities. Through the partnership with WIDO, a local women-led organisation, CARE will work to transform negative masculinities and social norms.


Nonviolent Peaceforce: Community-based Protection and Peacebuilding

01.11.2022 - 31.10.2024

The project will contribute to overall peace and security of targeted communities by addressing key civilian safety and security concerns, including child protection, intra-inter-communal violence, SGBV, women’s protection and empowerment, youth participation, community participation and general protection and peacebuilding. Interventions will focus on trust building and inclusion, enhancing capacities of existing community-based protection mechanisms including Women protection Teams and Youth Protection Teams, and Peace Committees, and restoring confidence in peaceful relations at community levels.


Allocation of SDC Funding to ICRC Operations in 2020

01.01.2020 - 31.12.2020

SDC funding to ICRC operations allows the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to respond proactively and to provide immediate protection and assistance for people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. In line with the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) principles, Switzerland recognizes the necessity of predictable and flexible funding to respond to changing needs in humanitarian crises.

 


South Sudan, Caritas Switzerland: Restoration of resilience in livelihoods for rural and semi-urban communities in Torit State

01.10.2019 - 31.05.2023

This project is designed to increase the resilience of women, men and children in Torit State in South Sudan. This will be achieved through improving agricultural production and access to value chains for farmers and small scale businesses. In order to improve productivity and reduce water-related diseases, the project will improve access to water. This will ultimately reduce vulnerability to the threat of food & nutrition insecurity, and bring the target population to engage in increased productivity with financial benefit.


Promoting Inclusive Peacebuilding and Sustainable Livelihoods through Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship.

01.08.2019 - 31.10.2022

South Sudan finds itself in lasting state of fragility and chronic conflict that has impacted the social fabric of its population. The project will address deeply rooted social aspects of conflict by training and supporting young peacemakers to engage in conflict resolution and community dialogues. Combined with the promotion of youth-led businesses, the project intends to reduce the risk of the youth entering cycles of despairs and violence. Thereby, it contribute to sustainable development and a longer-term stability in South Sudan.


OVCI - Improving nutritional condition of most vulnerable groups in Juba

01.03.2019 - 30.04.2021

Malnutrition among children and other vulnerable groups remains worse as a result of the prevailing food insecurity situation in South Sudan. According to the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for South Sudan, some 1.8 million people – the majority of which are children under five years - face malnutrition. Through this project, Volunteers Organization for International Co-operation (OVCI) intends to address malnutrition of vulnerable children, pregnant and lactating mothers and other destitute persons in Juba County by improving their dietary intake.


Enhancing security coordination and local contextual understanding to increase humanitarian access

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2020

This project aims at enhancing security coordination and local contextual understanding to increase humanitarian access to insecure locations both inside and outside of Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites. Through enhanced understanding of the context, operational threats can be better mitigated by NGOs, facilitating scale-up of programme and service delivery to the affected population in South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Unity States.


Reducing the Prevalence and Impact of Violence in Western Equatoria

01.11.2018 - 28.02.2021

Nonviolent Peaceforce’s (NP) intervention in Mundri County, Western Equatoria State is aimed at reducing the prevalence and impact of violence. Key activities will include conducting patrols in risky areas, protective accompaniments, advocacy, conducting trainings workshops, awareness raising activities etc. Through this intervention, Switzerland contributes to creating sustainable grassroots-led peaceful solutions to conflict, promotion of Human Rights, SGBV prevention and response among conflict affected communities.

Object 1 – 12 of 17