SOUTH SUDAN HUMANITARIAN FUND (SSHF)
2016 SECOND STANDARD ALLOCATION ROUND STRATEGY PAPER
BACKGROUND
1.
Since the beginning of 2016, the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan has deepened and spread.
Despite the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) in April 2016, violence
continued in multiple locations, while the economic situation deteriorated, causing humanitarian needs to
intensify and increase, including in locations previously considered relatively stable in the Greater Bahr El
Ghazal and Greater Equatoria regions.
2.
In order to reflect the scale and scope of the humanitarian crisis, the 2016 Humanitarian
Response Plan (HRP) is being revised to incorporate and expand projects in the Greater Bahr El Ghazal
and Greater Equatoria regions. It is estimated that this will bring the appeal to US$1.5 billion. The two
strategic objectives of the HRP will remain the same - 1) save lives and alleviate suffering through safe
access to services with dignity, and 2) ensure communities are capable and prepared to cope with
significant threats. The strategy will also remain consistent with that articulated at the beginning of 2016,
with an intensified focus in the latter half of 2016 on prioritising the areas where needs are most severe,
accompanied by ensuring that the most appropriate modalities are used to ensure maximum impact,
effectiveness, adaptability and flexibility.
3.
The revision of the HRP is based on an analysis of the increasing and spreading severity of
humanitarian needs in South Sudan. More than 2.5 million people – more than one in every five people in
South Sudan - have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict began, including 1.6 million internally
displaced people (with 53.4 per cent estimated to be children) and nearly 900,000 refugees in neighbouring
countries. Hunger and malnutrition have reached historic levels and taken hold in previously stable areas.
By July 2016, some 4.8 million people - more than one in every three people in South Sudan - were
estimated to be severely food insecure. Over the first six months of 2016, food insecurity escalated in
Northern Bahr El Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria, on top of the crisis already underway in the Greater Upper
Nile. Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates are nearly, and more than, double the emergency threshold
(15 per cent) in Unity (26.2 per cent) and Northern Bahr El Ghazal (33.3 per cent) respectively. Civilians
continue to be killed and subjected to horrendous violations, including sexual violence. Some estimate that
the death toll may be as high as 300,000. At least 73 civilian deaths were catalogued by the UN from the
July 2016 clashes in Juba, but it is believed the civilian death toll may be much higher. The first six months
of 2016 saw continued reports of widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, particularly in
Juba during and following the July clashes and in Wau. Mortality has been exacerbated by acute
malnutrition and disease, including a malaria outbreak in 2016 that is similar in magnitude to the
unprecedented 2015 season, and a cholera outbreak in 2016 for the third year in a row. Some 400,000
children have been forced out of school by the conflict and an estimated 16,000 have been recruited by
armed actors.
SECOND STANDARD ROUND ALLOCATION – ENVELOPE, STRATEGY AND PROCESS
Overall Envelope
4.
Based on current commitments, it is anticipated that around US$30 million will be available in
the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) to support a Second Standard Round Allocation (SA2) for
2016. This allocation round will provide resources in support of the most critical and life-saving elements of
the humanitarian operation during the second half of 2016, based on the Mid-Year Review.
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SOUTH SUDAN HUMANITARIAN FUND (SSHF)
2016 SECOND STANDARD ALLOCATION ROUND STRATEGY PAPER
Overarching Strategy
5.
Given the rapidly escalating humanitarian needs in South Sudan, SA2 will focus on the first HRP
strategic objective of saving lives and alleviating suffering through safe access to services with dignity.
However, it may also fund projects which support the second objective of ensuring communities are
capable and prepared to cope with significant threats where specific justifications are given. It will
prioritize, in particular, funding for response in areas where new needs have arisen since the beginning of
2016 (namely Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr El Ghazal), but will also encompass the most urgent
response activities in other areas, particularly the Greater Upper Nile, where needs remain dire.
Specifically, SA2 will prioritize:
a) activities that directly address life-saving needs, in locations where these are most critical

All project activities shall be based on evidence which clearly demonstrates the extent and severity of
needs, and is consistent with CERF life-saving criteria and guidance.1
b) activities in support of essential common humanitarian services that pertain to life-saving strategies

Project activities may encompass common services that are essential in enabling the most critical lifesaving activities to take place in locations where needs are most severe. In particular, replenishment of
common (core) pipelines, which have been depleted due to the increasing needs in the first half of
2016, will be eligible for consideration. If exceptionally required and agreed as an inter-cluster priority,
common logistics services for the transportation and storage / accommodation of cargo and personnel,
and common security and communications services may also be considered.
c) activities that are feasible to implement immediately

The limited resources available under this allocation round are to be put to use immediately. In the
face of insecurity and other access constraints, cluster strategies should include a compelling
articulation of approaches that will ensure feasibility of implementation. Modalities should be
prioritised that enable rapid and adaptable responses to humanitarian needs, in light of the highly fluid
situation.
d) support to the refugee response and food aid will be considered only if exceptional justification is
provided

Support to the refugee response and food aid are generally excluded from SSHF standard allocation
rounds due to the overall magnitude of their requirements compared to the relatively small resources
available to the CHF. However, given the rapidly rising needs in South Sudan, if funding to either the
refugee response or food aid is agreed as an inter-cluster priority, projects may be exceptionally
considered.
Process
6.
In order to ensure that funding reaches partners as soon as practicably possible, the SA2 process
will be lighter and shorter compared to previous standard allocation rounds. Due to the fighting that
erupted in Juba on 7 July, as well as several contributions to the SSHF arriving later in the year than
anticipated, delays were incurred in the SA2 process. Given the urgent funding requirements, as well as
1
The Central Emergency Response Fund. https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/CERF/FINAL_Life-Saving_Criteria_26_Jan_2010__E.pdf
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SOUTH SUDAN HUMANITARIAN FUND (SSHF)
2016 SECOND STANDARD ALLOCATION ROUND STRATEGY PAPER
continued capacity challenges due to the evacuation of non-critical staff, it will therefore be critical for the
SA2 process to be completed in as rapid and streamlined a manner as possible. At the same time, it is vital
that the process is rigorous and robust, in order to ensure that SSHF funds are channelled to where they
are most urgently needed and will have the greatest impact.
7.
Rather than the standard process of development of cluster strategies, following the launch of
the SSHF SA2 process, clusters will be requested to provide key information (needs, proposed activities,
locations, feasibility, value for money, etc) and proposed envelopes. This information will then be peerreviewed by a team composed of Cluster Coordinators / Co-coordinators and OCHA / SSHF Technical
Secretariat (TS) with the aim of agreeing on proposed cluster envelopes, based on the most appropriate
and strategic use of the resources available. A meeting (or alternatively, electronic consultation) will then
be held with the Advisory Board to seek endorsement of the proposed cluster activities and envelopes.
Following endorsement of the proposed envelopes by the Advisory Board and Humanitarian Coordinator,
clusters will invite qualifying humanitarian organisations – per the criteria outlined above - to submit
proposals, which will be reviewed and prioritised by the clusters. Selected proposals will subsequently
undergo the usual technical review process by the SSHF TS and clusters. Preference will be given to
proposals of HRP partners with the capacity to immediately mount static or mobile response in prioritized
locations per their respective clusters. SSHF funds should be allocated directly to implementers and not
passed-through another agency unless there is a major advantage in passing the funding through the other
agency. A detailed allocation timeline has been attached to this Standard Allocation strategy paper.
Complementarity with other funding sources
8.
At the same time as this SSHF Standard Allocation is taking place, several donors are announcing
additional contributions to the South Sudan humanitarian response. In consultation with the
Humanitarian Coordinator and Advisory Board, the SSHF TS will ensure that the funds allocated through
SA2 are complementary to, and do not duplicate, funding through these other mechanisms. The SSHF TS
will also review proposals to ensure there is no duplication with funding received through the February
2016 CERF Rapid Response Grant, and the SSHF Reserve Allocation for Wau.
11 August 2016
Attached:
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
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Cluster template
CERF lifesaving criteria
Allocation timeline
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