JPF to deliver additional emergency assistance in response to Famine in South Sudan Calls for donations reinforced -Five million people face severe food crisis1, 270,000 children at risk of death from malnutrition2-
(PDF 579KB)

Japan Platform (JPF; Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) has decided to embark on delivery of substantial additional aid with its member NGOs in response to the recent emergency in South Sudan caused by a severe Famine. It will also reinforce its call for donations for these assistance activities.

Severe famine

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the number of people facing a serious food crisis in South Sudan and requiring humanitarian aid climbed to 5 million between February and April 2017, and of which an estimated 100,000 are experiencing a Famine (Phase 5)1. On February 20, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared that a Famine has already begun in Unity State3, and the following day, on February 21, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that 270,000 children in South Sudan are at imminent risk of death due to severe malnutrition caused by the Famine along with the humanitarian crisis brought about by poverty and a deterioration in public security.2

Protracted conflict and deterioration in public security

Internally displaced people (IDPs) have been most affected1. In South Sudan, large-scale fighting broke out in its capital, Juba, in July 2016, and as waves of violence spread to the Equatoria region, the peace process that had begun after the peace agreement was signed in August 2015 has effectively collapsed. A surge was seen in the number of IDPs and refugees that had been increasing since the civil war began in 2013, and have currently reached approximately 1.9 million and 1.74 million respectively4.

Collapse in economy

More than a quarter of citizens have been uprooted from their homes due to the conflict5, and do not have the means to grow crops for their livelihood. The deterioration in the economy is also severe, and in October 2016, the consumer price index marked a 835.7％ increase compared to the previous year6. With the complex humanitarian crisis caused by deterioration in public security, sharp rises in food prices and a drought ongoing, the people facing Famine are relying on humanitarian aid as their main source of food. However, these needs have not been fully met due to severe restrictions on humanitarian access1.

Additional emergency assistance from JPF

JPF have continued to deliver assistance to South Sudan for over ten years since 2005, and in response to these circumstances, it will embark on substantial additional assistance with actions to combat famine within the country as its first priority. This will take place within the framework of the South Sudan Assistance Program currently being implemented.

As its first action, World Vision Japan (WVJ) will begin a nutrition improvement program in Warrap State. The goal is to provide swift treatment to the rapidly increasing number of children suffering from acute malnutrition, build capacity within the community to respond to these issues, and support the recovery of malnutritioned children and protect those who are at risk of dying from hunger through CMAM (Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition). This program will provide treatment to 8,825 children and reach 275,000 facing dire situations in Warrap State.

JPF Secretary General Nobuhisa Iida has stated the following: "Our goal is to stop the increase in fatalities, and to achieve that, we will prioritize assistance that will protect lives from the damages caused by the famine, specifically assistance in the fields of nutrition improvement, food distribution, livelihood recovery, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). We would like to ask for your kind support."

※1：Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in South Sudan, 20 February 2017
IPC...Out of the five phases defined, Phase 5 (Famine) is the most severe
※2：Nearly 1.4 million children at imminent risk of death as famine looms in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen -UNICEF 21 February, 2017
※2：Joint FAO/UNICEF/WFP statement on famine in South Sudan, 21 February, 2017
※4：UNHCR, South Sudan Situation Regional overview of population of concern, 31 March, 2017
※5：OCHA, Address and Prevent Famine in Four Countries, 20 March, 2017
※6：Consumer Price Index for South Sudan October 2016, The Republic of South Sudan National Bureau of Statistics, 2 November 2016

Donations for the JPF South Sudan Assistance Program are accepted through:

Remittance through Japan Post

Name of bank

Japan Post Bank

Code and account number

00120-8-140888

Name of account holder

Japan Platform

*When donating through Japan Post, please write "South Sudan Assistance" in the memo column.

Bank transfer

Name of bank

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ

Branch

Head Office

Type of account

Saving

Account number

0008475

Name of account holder

Japan Platform

• *Please cover all transaction fees regardless of donation method.

JPF South Sudan Assistance Program

In August 2006, a year after the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan began its transitional rule based on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), JPF started its Southern Sudan Humanitarian Assistance Program. Since then, it has continued to deliver assistance for many years, to preserve peace and to prevent the region from slipping back into a conflict. JPF also responded and provided assitance to the outflow of IDPs and refugees resulting from the armed conflict that erupted in Juba in December 2013 and well as the deterioration in public security that ensued afterwards in northeast South Sudan. Six JPF member NGOs are currently implementing assistance through the South Sudan Assistance Program that was launched in June 2016 (planned assistance period: June 1, 2016 through May 31, 2019) to IDPs and those affected by the conflict in South Sudan as well as South Sudanese refugees in host countries, namely Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan and Kenya.

About Japan Platform

Japan Platform (JPF) was founded in 2000 as a new framework for coordinating Japanese emergency humanitarian aid. JPF supports its members NGOs in various ways, to enable NGOs, the business community and the Japanese government to work together as equal partners and to deliver swift and effective aid both inside and outside Japan. Since its foundation, it has delivered a total of 40 billion yen in aid, through approximately 1200 programs in more than 45 countries and regions. This, along with efforts to promote cooperation between corporations and NGOs, and accurate reporting of all its activities, has allowed JPF to build trust over the years. JPF shares information with 46 JPF member NGOs, each with their own specialties, and shapes assistance projects together with them. In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, more than a total of 7 billion yen was donated from the private sector, and JPF contributed to organizing the efforts for recovery by supporting local NGOs alongside regional intermediaries in affected prefectures.

Contact

Japan Platform

PR: Takasugi, Programs: Higuchi, Tukioka
TEL: 03-6261-4750 E-mail: info@japanplatform.org
Kojimachi GN Yasuda Building 4F, 3-6-5 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083
Website: www.japanplatform.org Facebook: Japan Platform　Twitter: @japanplatform