a mismanagement of the global commons by poor and rich countries alike – is going to create recurrent natural disasters that will trigger further food crises . So yes , we will have to live with food crises for some time to come , and learn how to cope with them more effectively . Part of the answer will be a better integration of humanitarian and structural development aid , based on the recognition that they form a continuum , and that governments and agencies must be able to use them flexibly and in shifting combinations . But it will be equally important to help countries address the underlying policy misalignments .
E2C : How does the crisis manifest itself in the daily life of the people in the affected regions ?
LDA : Almost 1 in 3 people in South Sudan have been displaced since the conflict
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began . Those who had been displaced have lost almost all their economic assets and possessions . At present , South Sudan is the third-most fled country in the world , after Syria and Afghanistan . Many people , including the people targeted as beneficiaries of our PRO-ACT ( see box ) project , are now living as internally displaced persons , though some are recently trying to return to government controlled villages / counties . They have limited assets or access to basic services and food .
E2C : All of you have worked either directly or indirectly with organisations that are active on the ground . What are the main challenges that these organisations face in the implementation of their activities ?
KJK : The main problems that we usually face are insecurity , logistical
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and infrastructural constraints and inflation . Security threats stop any kind of humanitarian assistance and sometimes even lead to the evacuation of expatriates . In terms of logistics , it has become a hard and lengthy process to get supplies from one side of the conflict to the other , especially when transporting procured materials or commodities from government to opposition-controlled areas and vice versa . The dramatic increase of prices also implies that whatever was budgeted a few months ago , cannot be implemented using the same budget today .
LDA : Cordaid and its partner have temporarily scaled down the PRO-ACT project implementation in the Upper Nile twice in the last 18 months due to on-going fighting and insecurity . Recent offensives by government forces have driven the opposition forces together with
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Kujiek Ruot Kuajien IOB GOV student ( 2017-2018 ) |
Lemessa Demie Anbessa DEM alumnus ( 2012-2013 ) |
Robrecht Renard IOB Professor Emeritus |
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Work |
Oxfam Stouh Sudan |
Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid ( Cordaid ) |
Emeritus professor providing policy support services to development actors , including World Food Programme |
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Function |
Planning , Monitoring , Accountability and Learning ( PMEAL ) officer |
Project Coordinator |
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Project |
We engage in emergency food distributions ( EFD ) in conjunction with the WFP and in livelihood components supported by the European Union . We introduced a food for assets ( FFA ) programme , based on conditional food aid . The beneficiaries engage in small activities aimed at assets creation and get food in return . The livelihood projects supported by the EU are aimed on the production of nutritious foods , such vegetables , and the distribution of seeds and tools . In addition , market support and cash transfers are foreseen . |
The Pro-Resilience Action ( PRO-ACT ) project is enhancing the food security and disaster resilience of vulnerable communities in the 3 counties in Upper Nile State , South Sudan . This project is funded by the European Commission ( EC ) and implemented by Cordaid in partnership with local NGO , SSUDA . The Project ’ s overall objective is to improve food security and disaster resilience of 3,000 vulnerable households in conflict affected areas by enhancing the capacities of disasterprone communities to sustainably produce , utilize and / or access nutritious food . |
In decades of intervention of WFP agricultural policies have changed , notably in Europe , and many donors now provide untied cash aid to WFP , so that the organisation can secure food competitively on world markets , often buying it in the region or even in the country that is being assisted . Thus liberated from the strictures of tied aid , WFP has broadened its objective from providing food aid to what it calls ‘ food assistance ’. It means that in appropriate cases WFP will now provide cash or vouchers to hungry people rather than bags of food , so that beneficiaries can buy food for themselves . |