1. Introduction
A new peace agreement has been signed, a transitional government is in place, but 10 years on from independence some 8.3 million people in South Sudan are affected by one of the worst humanitarian crises in the country’s history. A staggering 4.5 million children are affected – four out of every five children in the country. That is an increase of almost 400,000 children from the same time last year. The current lean season (May to July) is expected to be the most severe on record.
The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is a child rights crisis. The commitments to children that are detailed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child – which South Sudan ratified in 2015 – are not being met. These unmet commitments are manifold and interrelated. When children are deprived of the right to education, they are also being deprived of an environment that could protect them from exploitation and child labour. When they cannot access clean water, health care or sufficient food, their right to life is severely compromised. Grave violations against children continue.
This is not sudden, nor a surprise. It is the cumulative effect of years of prolonged conflict, chronic vulnerabilities, limited essential services and weak governance. The Human Development Index for South Sudan ranks the country 185 out of 189. Social and economic vulnerabilities have been further challenged by plummeting oil prices, huge inflation, climate change, new outbreaks of subnational violence and now the impact of COVID-19.
A peace agreement does not mean immediate security, resources and services. The needs of children remain expansive. Many areas of the country are still affected by concurrent subnational violence, armed conflict, cyclical drought and perennial flooding. The country remains Africa’s largest refugee crisis, with 3.8 million people displaced inside and outside the country; almost one third of the total population. Of those displaced, more than half are children.
Funding for humanitarian assistance over the last ten years has been extraordinarily generous. It has saved lives, and helped meet millions of peoples’ immediate needs in the absence of government services. For many children and their families, this support may be the only assistance they receive. Now is not the time to reduce this lifeline. Not while the acute needs of children are unmet; not while the basic rights of most children living in South Sudan are not being realized.
2. Call for Action
South Sudan has never faced this scale of need in its 10-year history. With competing humanitarian crises around the world and the economic fallout from COVID-19, UNICEF is deeply concerned about the devastating impact if donors further reduce funding at a time when the needs of children are so acute.
The Government of South Sudan ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in January 2015, and it bears the duty to uphold the rights of children throughout the country. However, South Sudan needs to prioritize more investments that would advance the rights of children. The national budget prioritizes security over basic health services. South Sudan struggles to pay recurrent expenditures. The country has limited infrastructure and has been fraught with conflict, leaving extremely limited resources at its disposal. The prospect of a government that generates sufficient revenue and institutes systems of accountability is a long way off. Meanwhile, the country’s children are waiting to realize their rights.
The Convention is clear that States should do this to the “maximum extent of their available resources.” And where States cannot follow through, this duty falls “within the framework of international co-operation.” The international community must continue to stand with children to ensure their rights are respected and work to make sure they are realized. This duty to children will continue for some time yet. Cutting aid cannot be an option right now. Costs would be counted in lives and futures lost, and an even more expensive response in years to come.
The 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan identifies almost 1 million more people facing acute needs than last year. But only one third of it has been funded, leaving a shortfall of just over US$1 billion – and all sectors massively underfunded.
On behalf of the children of South Sudan, UNICEF is calling for donors to:
Increase humanitarian aid for South Sudan so that the Humanitarian Response Plan and UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children appeal are fully funded, thus continuing support for children to realize their rights.
Commit to longer-term programmes through multi-year funding, enabling more effective planning by providing predictable resources. In the words of one girl, “Time is needed for things to change dramatically in South Sudan” (Girl, 15, Focus Group Discussion, December 2020).
Almost everything that people have access to is the result of actions by the humanitarian community. For example, as of 2017, non-governmental organizations are responsible for almost 80 per cent of health service delivery. In other words, there is no alternative to donor support and humanitarian action in the foreseeable future. The removal of aid will not incentivize further domestic investment – these resources do not exist. But for the world’s youngest country, the progressive realization of rights will continue for some time yet.
The impact of cuts to humanitarian aid will be immediate and direct. Children will grow up without education. Children will be abused and exploited in the labour force or in armed groups or forces. Children will suffer from malnutrition and wasting, impairing their cognitive ability and limiting their chances of leading productive lives as adults. Children will not grow up to be change makers for their communities and country. Children will die. In the absence of government capacity, all other duty bearers – including donor governments, UNICEF and other United Nations agencies, international NGOs and the private sector – must act now.
Source: UN Children’s Fund