By Matik Kueth
The European Union (EU), in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), launched a €11 million project on Friday to enhance resilience in South Sudan’s displaced and host communities.
The project, titled “Strengthening Community Adaptability and Resilience for Displaced and Host Populations in South Sudan,” aims to provide sustainable support to approximately 40,000 individuals in the Upper Nile State and Juba, two regions deeply affected by the fallout of Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
The effort will focus on both immediate and long-term needs, spanning emergency shelter, access to education, legal documentation, livelihood support, and community integration.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Juba, Lothar Jaschke, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to South Sudan, noted that the initiative focuses on the country’s emergency and long-term future.
“It’s a project that has been going on for a while in other parts of the country, in Unity and in Upper Nile State and it continues today. This is a significant moment in our ongoing partnership to support South Sudan and its people during these challenging times. It is about emergency, it is about shelter, but it’s also about resilience, dignity, and sustained futures,” Jaschke said.
He emphasized the urgent need to move beyond crisis response, stating that the EU’s goal is to enhance access to basic needs for Sudanese refugees and returns.
“Our aim is to foster the inclusion of forcibly displaced populations by improving access to basic services for the new arrivals, but also for the communities that welcome them,” he stated.
He added, “In South Sudan, maybe more than in other places, we see how the challenges faced by displaced persons often mirror those faced by local communities.”
Lothar Jaschke, EU Deputy Head of Mission to South Sudan, poses with UNHCR Representative Marie-Hélène Verney and IOM Head of Operations Mohammed Asar during a joint event in Juba on June 20, 2025. [Photo: Matik Kueth/King Media]
The ongoing war, which erupted in April 2023, has forcibly displaced millions, with South Sudan receiving over 1.2 million people, including both returnees and Sudanese refugees.
Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR’s Representative in South Sudan, commended the EU for their assistance, stressing that people escaping the Sudanese violence continue to enter the country daily.
“I really want to commend the European Union here, because in my experience working in the humanitarian world, when we have very, very big emergencies like that, and at the beginning we are seeing 2,000, 3,000 people arriving in rank from Sudan every single day, that’s a very big humanitarian crisis,” she stated.
The EU’s approach is based on a multi-layered, area-based model that incorporates emergency response and development planning.
According to UNHCR, the project will focus on self-reliance through livelihoods (especially agriculture), basic service provision (including education and healthcare), and social cohesion.
“We don’t say we’re going to work with refugees, or only with IDPs or returnees. No, it’s everyone. We want to help the population in the cities, the displaced populations, and the host communities,” she stressed.
The need is acute; a recent survey in Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Verney said, revealed serious deficiencies in water and health facilities, situations that would deteriorate further as a result of mass displacement.
“So, if you have a state like that that’s already lacking for its population, and they receive tens of thousands of people, that’s something we want to target,” she noted.
Mohammed Asar, IOM’s Head of Operations in South Sudan, highlighted the project’s strategic goal of long-term integration and stability.
“The project aims to create continuity beyond the intervention lifespan and reinforce resilience. And that’s what we have been talking about. In all my messaging throughout this crisis, I have always said the people of South Sudan, and the government, have been very open in receiving these people from across the border, which is very commendable,” he affirmed.
As humanitarian funding faces new challenges, including reductions from traditional donors, the European Union’s timely support stands out as both responsive and visionary.
“We, the three of us, as entities, are convinced that actually it works and it makes a difference,” Verney further stressed.
The project signifies a shift in humanitarian response from short-term relief to long-term solutions that are based on local development and inclusive growth. It is consistent with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Framework on Durable Solutions and the UN Secretary-General’s 2022 action plan on internal displacement.
The collaborative action reflects a common commitment among the EU, UNHCR, and IOM, as the initiative will last until 2027, with both UN agencies collaborating closely with national and local partners to ensure coordination and sustainability.