Press Releases
South Sudan NGO Forum is concerned by recent allegations of Sexual abuse involving NGOs
Summary: Juba, South Sudan, 07 June 2024. South Sudan NGO Forum, a collective representing 112 international NGOs and 233 national NGOs, is deeply concerned by the recent allegations of sexual abuse involving NGOs operating in South Sudan, as reported in the article titled "Lawmaker Alleges NGO Sexual Abuse in South Sudan."1 We unequivocally condemn any form of sexual exploitation and abuse and reaffirm our commitment to zero tolerance for such egregious misconduct. The safety, dignity, and well-being of the people we serve are paramount, and any breach of trust or violation of rights is completely unacceptable. We take these allegations very seriously and are committed to conducting thorough investigations into any reports of sexual exploitation or abuse involving NGOs in South Sudan. As a collective of non-governmental organizations driven by humanitarian principles and ethical conduct, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and integrity in all our operations. We recognize the importance of robust safeguarding measures, including prevention, detection, and response mechanisms, to protect vulnerable populations and prevent harm. In recent quarterly reporting, 85% of members routinely trained personnel, improving understanding of sexual exploitation and abuse policies. Additionally, 130 training sessions were held with staff and community members. We are committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders to strengthen safeguarding policies and practices, enhance accountability mechanisms, and ensure justice and support for survivors. We urge anyone who has experienced or witnessed sexual exploitation or abuse by individuals associated with NGOs in South Sudan to report their concerns to the National PSEA Taskforce at [email protected]. All reports are treated with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity, ensuring that appropriate action is taken in accordance with established procedures and legal frameworks ensuring the protection of victims, witnesses and whistleblowers. The NGO Forum remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting the safety, dignity, and rights of all individuals affected by conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises in South Sudan. We stand united in our determination to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, and to build a safer and more inclusive future for all. For further inquiries or to schedule a meeting, please contact Mohammed Moukine Billah, Acting Director of South Sudan NGO Forum Secretariat at [email protected].Date:BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE: Humanitarian organisations urge participants of the Paris Conference for Sudan and its Neighbouring Countries to take immediate action to prevent further suffering and death.
Summary: Joint statement from the Interagency Working Group for East and Central Africa, the Sudan INGO Forum, and the South Sudan NGO Forum ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Sudan conflict.Date:South Sudan NGO Forum condemns the killing of an aid worker in GPAA and appeals to the authorities for an investigation
Summary: The South Sudan NGO Forum is deeply saddened by the killing of an aid worker in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area in the course of his duties. We stand in solidarity with the affected international non-governmental organization and the family of the deceased in this tragic moment.Date:Window is closing for humanitarian actors to provide timely response in Sudan and across the region
Summary: NGO Foras in Sudan, Chad, South Sudan and across the region, jointly urge donors to provide urgent additional funding to enable humanitarian response to save lives before it is too late.Date:NGOs in South Sudan appeal for funding to support rising humanitarian needs due to the Sudan Crisis
Summary: The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as more people flee the fighting in Sudan, with several thousand individuals, mainly returnees and refugees, crossing over to South Sudanese border areas (as per IOM/UNHCR Population Movement from Sudan to South Sudan). Despite efforts by IOM, UNHCR and some NGOs at the border areas to keep track of the people entering South Sudan in dire need of assistance, the NGO community is expressing worries that the number is already over 50,000 and more people are arriving than agencies are projecting. NGOs fear that the situation is likely; to exacerbate the worrying humanitarian situation-where, an estimated 9.4 million people in South Sudan, including 2.2 million women, 4.9 million children and 337,000 refugees, are projected to need humanitarian assistance and protection services as per the South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan 2023. Date:Appalled by fighting in the Sudan, NGOs in South Sudan calls for support preparing humanitarian response
Summary: The humanitarian community in South Sudan is calling on regional and international stakeholders; to spare no effort in pushing for an immediate cessation of hostilities, safeguarding of human rights, the establishment of humanitarian corridors out of the worst-affected areas. In addition, NGOs are calling for support in preparing for the humanitarian response in Sudan as well as in neighbouring countries, including South Sudan.Date:Humanitarian situation in Malakal still not ripe to decommission PoC
Summary: With the escalation of subnational violence across large parts of Upper Nile and adjacent areas of Malakal, the protection of civilians from violence as they try; to seek refuge at the Protection of Civilians site (PoC) camp remains paramount, humanitarian organisations are saying. “We (NGOs) have been registering the daily arrival of people who are running away from insecurity in their communities, including but not limited to Fashoda and Tonga. As a humanitarian community working in the protection site, the fact that the IDPs feel safe inside the PoC other than in the surrounding communities means a lot,” says Cissy Kagaba, NGO Forum Secretariat Director. “It is important to note that, sadly, we continue to see reports of armed actors pursuing each other across the breadth of Upper Nile, leaving communities at the mercy of these groups. Past experiences, as told by residents at the PoC, indicate that their safety in the hands of UNMISS continues to be assured, especially during the time of armed violence–regardless of who is involved. “In light of any near future proposals to position state actors to take over the responsibility of managing displaced populations, especially in Malakal, it is only right at this point for the extension of the UNMISS mandate to allow for engagement of all actors to reconcile efforts in management capacities, redesign of the current site and ensuring respect to diversity and continuity of life,” she says. Thus, any plans to transition the PoC into an IDP soon should be put on hold until communities whose populations are now seeking protection are safe for return,” she notes. When the other POCs transitioned into IDP camps two years ago, UNMISS recognized that the complexity of conflict made it unviable to transition the camp as per the principles establishing them. Since then observations of the severity of armed conflict has increased since November 2022 to January 2023. Date:Urgent attention needed to tackle worrying humanitarian situation in GPAA, South Sudan
Summary: Amidst the recent wave of violence in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) between rival communities, a worsening catastrophe is unfolding, putting women, children and the elderly on the brink of another humanitarian crisis. Inter-communal conflict & violence that started before Christmas of 2022 and into most of January 2023 in Greater Pibor have left about 50,000 people displaced and in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The situation is worsening, noting that all those displaced have already had horrific two-years of floods coming back to back. Recently, the Rapid Response Fund by the UN; was allocated to support immediate short-term gaps in the Pibor response, but NGOs are concerned that the conditions will continue to deteriorate as people require food and shelter. Despite the efforts by NGOs to provide critical basic needs, the population in Pibor lives in pessimism as the already dire situation may even worsen. Date:Humanitarian Aid: Captive to Bureaucracy
Summary: In a joint statement issued on World Humanitarian Day, NGO fora representing more than 1,500 NGO country-level offices in 17 contexts call attention to the increasingly challenging operational environment for humanitarian actors worldwide, and what can be done about it. The South Sudan NGO Forum is a signatory to the statementDate:NGOs in South Sudan condemn recent attacks on civilians and aid workers, call on Government to ensure protection of all people
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