By Ubia Daniel
The United Nations Development Programme has launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening local governance, reducing community violence, and supporting durable solutions for displacement-affected communities in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan.
The project, titled Pathway to Community Reintegration, is supported by the Funding Window, a multi-donor financing mechanism designed to accelerate development in fragile and displacement-affected contexts. It aligns with South Sudan’s National Durable Solutions Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2028, which prioritizes voluntary return, local integration, and resettlement of internally displaced persons, refugees, and returnees.
Western Bahr el Ghazal hosts significant numbers of displaced populations, placing increased pressure on land, basic services, and local governance structures, while heightening the risk of community-level tensions and violence. UNDP’s intervention seeks to address these challenges by strengthening sub-national governance systems, promoting peaceful coexistence, and enabling sustainable reintegration through an area-based development approach.
Photo showing participants during the launch event. (Courtesy)
“This project is about moving from short-term humanitarian assistance towards long-term, community-owned solutions,” said Dr. Mohamed Abchir, UNDP Resident Representative in South Sudan. “By strengthening local governance, reducing community violence and supporting inclusive reintegration, we aim to help communities rebuild trust, restore livelihoods, and lay the foundations for lasting peace and development.”
The initiative targets internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees, host communities, women and adolescent girls, youth at risk, persons with disabilities, former combatants, and survivors of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. In total, the project aims to directly benefit more than 70,000 people and strengthen the capacity of three sub-national institutions to improve inclusive planning, coordination, and service delivery.
Key components of the project include community violence reduction, support for livelihoods and income-generating activities, survivor-centred protection services, gender-responsive programming, and the development of small-scale, climate-resilient local infrastructure to enhance access to basic services.
A photo showing some female participants attending the launch of the project. (Courtesy)
Implementation will be carried out in close coordination with relevant UN agencies, the UN Mission in South Sudan, state and local authorities, civil society organizations, and community-based partners to ensure the project is locally led, conflict-sensitive, and aligned with national and state priorities.
UNDP says the initiative represents a critical step in supporting the transition from emergency humanitarian assistance to long-term development and stability in displacement-affected communities across Western Bahr el Ghazal.