A $1.16B appeal: ‘Needs remain high’ in South Sudan

South Sudan needs $1.16 billion to address anticipated 2013 humanitarian needs. That’s according to a consolidated appeal prepared by its government, the United Nations and other partners.

The requested amount will fund 273 projects that aim to help 3.3 million people in Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr-el Ghazal, Upper Nile and other priority areas. The projects will be implemented by 114 aid agencies.

Despite historic achievements — independence, and admission into the United Nations and African Union — the African country still suffers from the effects of decades of conflict. Political tension with Sudan, high food insecurity, increasing refugee arrivals and low government capacity, among others, continue to drive the persisting humanitarian crisis.

Out of 10 priority clusters, food security and livelihood were given the highest allocation with a combined request of $421 million. The plan also outlined seven strategic objectives for humanitarian action in 2013.

• Prepare for and respond to emergencies on time.

• Maintain front-line services, especially in hot spot areas.

• Assist and protect refugees.

• Protect the crisis-affected population.

• Support returns.

• Increase household resilience.

• Improve the operating environment for aid agencies.

Despite being lower than the funding requirement noted in the 2012 mid-year review, the 2013 budget appeal is significantly higher than 2012’s original requirement of $763 million — later on increased to $1.18 billion, of which only 61.5 percent or $724 million were met.

“The humanitarian situation in South Sudan is fragile although the 16 months since independence have seen much progress in our young nation,” Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Minister Joseph Lual Achuil said in a press release, where  he also recognized the need for further improvement and the “critical” work that comes with it.

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