The European Union supports humanitarian activities in South Sudan
JUBA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is grateful for the generous contribution of EUR 5 million from the European Union to support the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) and the Logistics Cluster (LC) in South Sudan. More than 8 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance after record floods, conflict and COVID-19 have worsened the situation, following earlier years of conflict.
UNHAS remains the only common air service available for the entire humanitarian community in the country. Due to poor infrastructure, seasonal challenges, demographic constraints, and aviation gaps, the humanitarian community relies heavily on the WFP-run air service to safely reach areas of operation. The EU’s contribution will help UNHAS to provide air transport services to 30,000 passengers and to transport 480 metric tons of light cargo in support of 290 humanitarian organizations across the country.
In addition, the funding will also support the Logistics Cluster, which serves as a coordination body that provides logistics support to the humanitarian community through the facilitation of key logistical services. These services include transportation of humanitarian cargo, warehousing, operational information management, logistics preparedness and representation at decision-making forums.
“UNHAS and the Logistics Cluster allow humanitarian organizations to reach the most remote areas of South Sudan, ensuring that assistance reaches those who need it most. This would not be possible without the support from donors like the European Union” says Matthew Hollingworth, WFP’s Country Director in South Sudan.
South Sudan is currently facing its highest levels of food insecurity since the country declared independence ten years ago, with 60 percent of the population increasingly hungry and 1.4 million children and 500,000 pregnant and lactating women malnourished.
This contribution is a top-up from the original allocation that the European Union designated for WFP’s operations in South Sudan this year, increasing the total amount to EUR 7.5 million. The European Union is a long-standing partner of WFP in South Sudan and has contributed a total of €95.5 million to WFP’s activities over the past five years.
“This contribution complements EU's support to the COVID-19 response with the first contribution of EUR 2 million provided in August 2020 for the supply and management of Personal Protective Equipment.”
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
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