OCHA

South Sudan

Philippines

Highlights 2011

OCHA helped the HC to re-establish humanitarian architecture in the challenging context of a new State. It provided information products and operational tools critical to the humanitarian programme cycle.

OCHA made progress in the establishment of a Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for South Sudan. This is a crucial tool for covering humanitarian needs in emergency situations, particularly in providing services and logistical support to new returnees and conflict-displaced people.

OCHA increased operations in response to a complex humanitarian agenda following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the referendum. OCHA opened six antenna offices in states and helped encourage humanitarian agencies to spread to regions with growing needs.

OVERVIEW 2011

The humanitarian situation in the world’s newest nation is extreme. South Sudan’s problems are stark, fragile and complex. Many aspects of its changed relationship with its northern neighbour have yet to be defined, and there is a strong legacy of mistrust. Internal political tensions persist, with threats from South Sudanese armed opposition groups who resent the perceived dominance of certain political and ethnic groups. The operational environment for humanitarian operations is often characterized by endemic intercommunal violence. Programmes deal with the mass return of South Sudanese from Khartoum and other Sudan states, high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition worsened by annual floods or drought. South Sudan also faces one of the largest capacity gaps in the continent and some of the worst humanitarian indicators in the world.

2011 brought little respite. Nearly 3 million people were estimated to need emergency food aid at the end of 2010. They included over 350,000 people fleeing the take-over of Abyei by the Sudan Armed Forces, rebel violence and intercommunal clashes, and 80,000 people fleeing fighting in Sudan's Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, seeking refuge in South Sudan since June 2011. Humanitarians also responded to emergency needs among more than 360,000 South Sudanese who had returned from Sudan during the year, and to the deteriorating food insecurity.

As needs grow, humanitarian access is deteriorating. Activities were affected in early 2011 due to interference with relief operations, and the logistical constraints posed by periodic flooding and the poor state of transport infrastructure.

Due to the extreme needs, the complexity of the operating environment and the multitude of different actors (including 21 UN agencies and more than 150 INGOs), OCHA’s guiding role on preparedness and coordinated response was more vital than ever. So was the prompt establishment of a tried and trusted humanitarian architecture. This included strengthening the Humanitarian Country Team and rolling out the cluster approach to improve preparedness and response capacity in the 10 states of South Sudan.

OCHA gave the clusters solid guidance on their roles and responsibilities. Individual cluster management has been fully delegated to the UN and NGO co-chairs, with OCHA offering facilitation and oversight. In South Sudan, clusters are a vital part of a vertical coordination structure that spans the country, covers 10 sectors and involves key humanitarian constituencies including UN agencies, NGOs, donors and Government counterparts. The structure is consultative, but lines of accountability are included at various levels.

During the last six months as a sub-office, OCHA Juba has helped establish cluster focal points in the 10 states. Access monitoring capacity was improved through the global OCHA access database. Humanitarian access constraints were regularly analysed to inform targeted high-level advocacy, including by the ERC. Concrete outcomes included commitments by the Government of South Sudan to halt the harassment of relief workers.

OCHA will continue to lead the development of the inter-agency humanitarian contingency plan to ensure preparedness and rapid response, and will continue to support an effective fund-raising strategy for preparedness. This approach was used during the first half of 2011 to facilitate a rapid humanitarian response to the return of over 300,000 South Sudanese from Sudan, 110,000 IDPs from the Abyei crisis and towards the end of 2011 for the Jonglei crisis response.

Outside Juba, OCHA has established a physical presence in eight of the 10 states of South Sudan. It provided leadership to the humanitarian community, helped facilitate a rapid response to emergencies and secured improvements in the access situation in South Sudan. The OCHA office in Juba or elsewhere has often been the first point of call for organizations experiencing problems. In the last two years, OCHA has led negotiations to resolve several critical incidents affecting humanitarian personnel or the passage of emergency supplies.

OCHA also works closely with Government humanitarian institutions in South Sudan to promote Government leadership on humanitarian issues. OCHA has steered and supported a cross-organizational advocacy campaign to address access challenges, advising affected clusters on targeted advocacy, developing key messages for the HCT and supporting the HC in direct advocacy with the President, Vice President and state governors.

OCHA’s use of timely, reliable and evidence-based news stories through its publications has enabled a steady flow of information from humanitarian partners in emergency-affected areas to high-level humanitarian decision makers, donors and the public. OCHA’s ability to collect first-hand information from sources in the field and filter that information has meant providing valuable operational analysis to those who need it most. OCHA also maintains databases to track conflict incidents with a humanitarian impact and ongoing response. This information is used by the humanitarian community to inform decision-making and response.

Based on the above, OCHA’s strategy to improve the expected humanitarian situation for the next two years is to:

Strengthen strategic coordination in Juba to build consensus among key stakeholders including the Government, donors, UN agencies and NGOs.

Strengthen operational coordination at the cluster and state levels to optimize humanitarian response.

Improve humanitarian access and space through monitoring and advocacy efforts.

Ensure that transitional coordination and transition funding mechanisms are in place.

WORKPLAN 2011

GOAL 1: A more enabling environment for humanitarian action.
Objective 1.2 Relationships strengthened with a wider group of operational partners and other relevant actors in advanced humanitarian action.
INDICATOR	OCHA is a member of the relevant integrated UN planning mechanisms (e.g. Senior Policy Group, Integrated Mission Planning Team, Joint Planning Unit/shared analytical and planning capacity).
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA participated in all PoC working groups and operational task force meetings. OCHA’s participation shaped interaction between the new peacekeeping forces and humanitarian actors. OCHA has a full seat at the Security Management Team and the Senior Management Group. Both are attended by the Head of Office (HoO) or Deputy, with a 90 per cent attendance rate.
INDICATOR	Humanitarian principles and relevant priorities reflected in all UN Integrated Strategic Frameworks. Distinctions between UN political and humanitarian workload clarified.
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA participated in the IMPP at the senior level (HoO/Deputy). OCHA’s comments, risk analysis and access databases have informed the risk analysis for the PoC approach and the mandate of the new peacekeeping mission. Daily participation by OCHA staff in the UNMISS-chaired Joint Operation Centre contributed to maintaining a clear distinction between mission and humanitarian mandates in operations and reporting.
INDICATOR	Thirty per cent increase in the number of NGOs submitting humanitarian projects in the CAP.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Nine per cent increase (91 international NGOs and national NGOs in 2011 submitting 192 projects, as compared with 99 INGOs and national NGOs in 2012 submitting 225 projects).
INDICATOR	Five emergency operations using non-traditional actors as a key implementing agency.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Sixteen community-based organizations participate as partners in the CAP.

GOAL 2: A more effective humanitarian coordination system
Objective 2.1 Effective mechanisms that manage and support accountable humanitarian coordination leaders.
INDICATOR	Operational inter-cluster forums established and functioning at capital and state level in accordance with generic TOR.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Inter-cluster coordination has been established in Juba and in nine out of 10 states where OCHA has a presence and/or coverage.
INDICATOR	100 per cent of inter-cluster, cluster and cross-cutting recommendations issued by HCT that are implemented at operational level.
ACHIEVEMENTS	100 per cent of relevant recommendations implemented, as illustrated by the following example: The HCT key objective for 2011 was readiness to respond. Inter-sector follow-up led to a strong contingency plan, which identified the key preparedness actions and crisis management/coordination structures. Key actions taken by the clusters to implement this objective include, inter alia, upgrading roads and airstrips; mobilizing early funding to pre-position core pipelines items in areas affected in the wet season; reducing costs through pooled carriage of humanitarian assets; ensuring rapid needs assessment through standardized methodologies; providing shelter and food assistance to returnees including developing way-stations on transit routes, mobile health clinics, nutrition services, WASH provision, seeds and tools for households; and strengthening humanitarian coordination structures.
INDICATOR	Percentage of HCT meetings in which operational-level inter-cluster coordination group provide adequate agenda inputs.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The ICWG meets every Wednesday. All key requests from the ISWG are tabled at the HCT, which meets on Friday.
Objective 2.2 An OCHA capable of responding quickly with clear triggers for establishing, phasing and drawing down operations.
INDICATOR	Country Office Strategy developed, including planning indicators in consultation with partners.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Country office Strategy was developed in July 2011.
Objective 2.3 A more predictable and scalable suite of OCHA services and tools to support leaders and partners in response preparedness, humanitarian response and transition.
INDICATOR	Percentage of key OCHA tools (contingency plans, CAP/flash appeals, sit reps) using sex- and age-disaggregated data.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Nineteen per cent of CAP 2011 funding with Gender Marker codes 2a and 2b.
INDICATOR	Develop a comprehensive communications strategy for OCHA South Sudan. The communications strategy articulates advocacy priorities of the office and the HC.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The recruitment of a senior OCHA staff member with media-relations experience was delayed. Due to serious human resources gaps in the second half of 2011, the Public Information Officer was drawn into overall management of the office. This delayed the finalization of the communication strategy, which is in draft form. Despite human resources constraints, agreed standardized and integrated products continued to be published on schedule and within the agreed deadlines, and a product catalogue was compiled. The new OCHA South Sudan website was launched.
INDICATOR	Consistent and timely provision of information tools, services and products in support of improved coordination, public information, advocacy and resource mobilization.
ACHIEVEMENTS	All information services set up timely and information products that were regularly updated and distributed. Sector-specific maps were produced within 72 hours or less, and requests by the HCT and HC were responded to within 24 hours. The Common Operational Databases are partially uploaded on http://cod.humanitarianresponse.info.
INDICATOR	Percentage of known access issues entered into the standard OCHA access database. Percentage of areas facing access constraints opened for humanitarian intervention.
ACHIEVEMENTS	100 per cent of known and confirmed political and security access incidents were entered into the access database. All but one area facing access constraints were opened for humanitarian intervention. In Unity State, extensive relaying of landmines during 2011 has continued to impede humanitarian overland access to parts of Mayom, Abiemnhom and Pariang.
Objective 2.4 A more systematic humanitarian programme cycle (needs assessment and analysis, joint planning, fund-raising and resource allocation, and monitoring and evaluation).
INDICATOR	Needs-assessment plan developed and endorsed by HCT.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Needs-assessment indicators agreed by HCT. Implementation at times hampered by lack of available data.
INDICATOR	Percentage of CAP projects prioritized as “high” in compliance with HCT-endorsed methodology.
ACHIEVEMENTS	In the 2011 CAP, 61 per cent of projects were prioritized as “high” as compared with 41 per cent of 2012 CAP projects.
INDICATOR	Assessment and strengthening of gender equality potential in humanitarian programme cycle.
ACHIEVEMENTS	100 per cent of 2011 and 2012 CAP projects were gender marked. Sixty per cent more projects were marked 2a or 2b in 2012 CAP as compared with the 2011 CAP.

A man eagerly awaits the announcement of preliminary results of the referendum in Juba on January 30, 2011. © Siegfried Modola/IRIN