Humanitarian community in South Sudan launches planning for 2015

(Juba, 24 September 2014) United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations are launching the planning for the 2015 aid operation in South Sudan at the beginning of October. The planning is to take place in close collaboration with South Sudanese people and institutions and authorities at the local, state and national levels in order to help inform the aid community’s response to the ongoing crisis.

“South Sudan is home to one of the world’s largest aid operations, and the enormous needs we are seeing today are likely to persist into 2015,” said Toby Lanzer, the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan. “We look forward to working closely with national and local authorities, civil society organizations and conflict-affected men, women and children of South Sudan to make sure that the aid operation is tailored to meet the most acute needs on the ground.”

Nine months into the conflict, close to 1.8 million people have been uprooted from their homes, including over 450,000 people who have fled to neighbouring countries. 2.5 million people are projected to be severely food insecure between January and March 2015, and malnutrition threatens the lives of tens of thousands of children. So far this year, aid agencies have reached over 3 million people, many in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

“To get the response right in a crisis of this magnitude, consultation is key,” continued Mr. Lanzer. “The people of South Sudan know best what they need to get through this crisis, and we will reach out and do all we can to make sure that their perspectives are included in every stage of the planning for our work next year.”  For more information, contact:

Tapiwa Gomo | Head of Communications, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan | gomo@un.org | +211 (0) 922406079 Amanda Weyler | Reporting Officer, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan | weylera@un.org | +211 (0) 922473115 To download the Crisis Response Plan, visit www.unocha.org/south-sudan OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org/south-sudan Facebook: UNOCHA SouthSudan | Twitter @OCHASouthSudan | Twitter @tobylanzer