Juba - The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM’s) Rapid Response Fund (RRF) programme is marking over ten years of supporting rapid humanitarian response to the acute needs of people and communities affected by crisis due to man-made and or natural hazards in South Sudan and the Abyei Administrative Area.

Since 2010, the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, through its U.S Embassy in Juba, has supported IOM work with implementing partners to rapidly respond to the needs of 17 million* crisis- affected populations with humanitarian interventions across the country.

IOM’s RRF Programme is a fast and flexible mechanism that facilitates humanitarian response through awarding three-month emergency support to projects implemented by local (national) partners to address health nutrition; agriculture and food security; protection; shelter and settlements; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and humanitarian coordination and information management.

“The program seeks to save lives and reduce suffering among populations in emergency-impacted areas. We are cognizant that we cannot do this without the support of partners, that is why the Rapid Response Fund works with national and international non-governmental organizations to swiftly provide humanitarian response to the vulnerable populations across South Sudan” said John McCue, Acting Chief of Mission IOM South Sudan, during a ceremony organized to celebrate the achievements of the IOM’s RRF programme on 8 November 2023 in Juba.

Over the past decade, the IOM through the RRF programme has built the capacity of over 280 implementing partners (local and international NGOs) to swiftly implement specific emergency response interventions that meet immediate needs of people affected by new aspects of the ongoing crisis.

“While we value the tremendous work of RRF over the past decade, all of us in this room agree that it is a tragedy that humanitarian crisis in South Sudan has endured for so long and has indeed worsened. But in the face of this, so many courageous people have stepped forward to assist the humanitarian efforts and the United States remains the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to this country. While we remain committed, worldwide, demands on humanitarian funds will necessitate significant budget reduction here in South Sudan starting this fiscal year. That is why we call on the Transitional Government to increase its own use of public revenue to support humanitarian response and reduce the costs and risks of aid delivery, including the removal of check points on roads and reducing the bureaucratic impediments and illicit fees imposed upon international and national non-governmental organizations. The community of NGOs at the local level are helping to support their communities and that is why I enthusiastically welcome the focus on the localization agenda”, said Michael J. Adler, Ambassador of the United States to South Sudan.

Local non-governmental organizations that are selected in close coordination with IOM and local communities have reached out to internally displaced persons (IDPs), vulnerable migrants, returnees, host communities and others in need of direct life-saving assistance. Findings of the Mid Term Review of the RRF in 2022 revealed that the program is effective in meeting the acute needs of the target populations, and has resulted in significant impact on their health, livelihoods, resilience, and wellbeing.

“My organization has greatly benefited from both the technical and financial support RRF has given us over the years. As a result, CIDO has reached over 68,000 people in need with health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Shelter and Non-food Items interventions and protection services both as static and mobile responders in all the six States of South Sudan where we operate”, said Florence Paul, Policy and Partnership Lead for Community Initiative for Development Organization, South Sudan.

Through the localization agenda, RRF’s programming is enabling cost effective emergency response to situations that require urgent humanitarian intervention in South Sudan. Over 95% of RRF’s implementing partners are national non-governmental organizations.

*This is a cumulative number of people RRF has supported through its implementation partners.

For more information, kindly contact Nabie Loyce in IOM South Sudan; Tel: +211912380115, email: nloyce@iom.int