UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

Published purpose

March 2016 - An estimated 8.7 million people across South Sudan are affected by the effects of armed conflict and inter-communal violence, economic decline, disease, and climatic shocks. Nearly 1.7 million are internally displaced within South Sudan and over 640,000 South Sudanese have sought protection in neighbouring countries. The civil war, as well as erratic rainfall in some areas, has driven 3.9 million people into severe food insecurity, with malnutrition rates over emergency thresholds. Outbreaks of cholera, measles, and hepatitis E have strained an already overwhelmed health system. Humanitarian access remains restricted in many conflict areas and large numbers of people are accessible only by air drops. With GAC’s support, the South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund is providing timely allocations and disbursements to the most critical humanitarian needs in South Sudan under the direction of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator. The Fund supports national and international NGOs and UN agencies providing humanitarian assistance to people in need throughout the country. The Fund is managed, on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, by the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office). Support to the Fund is helping to achieve its objectives, including: (1) promoting early action and response to reduce loss of life; (2) enhancing response to time-critical humanitarian requirements; and (3) strengthening core elements of humanitarian response in underfunded crises.