Better Aid in Conflict

Ten years after independence and three years after the signing of the revitalized peace agreement, people in South Sudan continue to face deteriorating humanitarian conditions. The situation is worsened by endemic violence, conflict, access constraints and operational interference, public health challenges such as direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 and climatic shocks resulting in the dual phenomena of extraordinary flooding and localized drought, which have a severe impact on people’s livelihoods, hampers access to basic services. Often, violent competition emerges over limited resources, at a local (water, land for grazing vs agriculture, food aid) or national (access to state resources and the ‘rents’ available from international aid) level.

Studies across a range of contexts show that humanitarian and development aid in situations of violent conflict can unintentionally exacerbate conflict, disrupt social cohesion and cause violence. Hence a deeper understanding of the context and how aid interacts with it becomes crucial and a core part of the ongoing operations with the intention to as much as possible reduce the negative effects of aid on conflict and populations and contribute to peace and development.

Risultati principali attesi:  

• 33% of assessed donors/UN agencies/INGOs/NNGOs institutionalising conflict sensitivity across at least three out of five domains in their strategy and organisational documents
• 25% of selected inter-agency strategies and guiding documents incorporating conflict sensitivity commitments and principles across at least two out of three domains
• # of case studies providing evidence of CSRF’s contribution towards the adaptation of aid initiatives and mitigated conflict/greater peace

Risultati fasi precedenti:  

• The CSRF is helping to increase the focus on conflict sensitivity among Juba level coordination circles but a lot of decisions on implementation are made on the ground in terms of where aid goes and who benefits. There is a rich understanding of dynamics on the ground which is not necessarily reaching Juba level humanitarian coordination mechanisms and humanitarian decision making at the top. Clear linkages need to be created to bridge the disconnect
• With learnings from the South Sudan facility, Saferworld has established a similar facility in Sudan and plans to establish the same in other contexts including Somalia. Regular sharing of learnings is to be instituted
• The CSRF will likely cease to exist in the current set up at the end of 2023 and transition into a new hybrid facility, providing public goods supported by donors and consultancy type of services privately contracted by organisations

Fase 2 01.04.2022 - 31.03.2024   (Completed)