nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
In Wau, Transition and Recovery Unit  ( TRU )  conducted a COVID 19 awareness trainings for 16 Functional Adult Literacy  ( FAL )  facilitators and community leaders.
In addition, the Transition and Recovery Unit  ( TRU )  team continued to support the Village Savings and Loan Association  ( VSLA )  groups in Abyei, who successfully shared their cumulative savings and interest and grew the group's total share, with each member receiving an average dividend of 25,200 SSP. Four VSLA groups comprised of 100 members commenced the second cycle of the VSLA loan scheme. So far, the groups have raised a total of 714,023 SSP  ( 4,434 USD ) .
In 2018, the conflict continued to force people to remain on the move and undermine their access to assistance. Almost 4.2 million people have been displaced, often more than once, including nearly 2.2 million in neighbouring countries and nearly 2 million internally. The population inside the UNMISS Protection of Civilian  ( PoC )  sites has stabilized at approximately 200,000 in the past three years, after a peak at 224,000 registered IDPs in 2016, to 190,000 in October 2018.18 Displacement is both a driver and result of vulnerability
The Ministry of Health reached out to the Operational Support and Logistics Pillar to transport essential COVID19 commodities to the field. During the reporting period, the Logistics Cluster collected and dispatched COVID 19 related items destined for the Jonglei State Ministry of Health and is finalizing the delivery to the Pibor Administrative Area Ministry of Health.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2020 was awarded to WFP for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it wanted to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger. In South Sudan, WFP supports some five million people each year.
Over the reporting period, the Logistics Cluster facilitate the transport of 96 MT of Early Recovery, Food Security, General Operations, Health, Logistics, Nutrition, Protection, Shelter and WASH cargo to 23 locations on behalf of 26 organizations. Of these, 47 percent was either COVID 19 priority cargo or moved to Inter Cluster Coordination Group priority locations  ( flood affected areas )
IOM Core Pipeline supported two partners to integrate COVID 19 infection, prevention, and control in their flood response in Twic East, Jonglei, and Awerial County, Lakes through the provision of critical WASH items, including multipurpose soap, buckets, and water purification tablets  ( Aquatabs ) .
WFP is conducting river assessments to establish additional viable river routes. WFP is also exploring hermetically sealed storage solutions to mitigate against flooding impacts
IOM continued COVID 19 screening and provided IPC/WASH support at five POEs, namely Juba International Airport, Wau Airport, Nimule Ground Crossing, Wunthou  ( Renk ) , and Amiet  ( Abyei ) . IPC/WASH support at the POEs include the supply of clean water through water trucking, rehabilitation and maintenance of sanitation facilities, construction and installation of handwashing facilities, and supply of IPC materials such as face masks, soap, and hand sanitizers.
The rainy season have led to inaccessibility in some areas of the country. As a last resort where food cannot be delivered by any other means, air deliveries are done. These are minimized by the prepositioned stocks. Since January 2020, WFP has prepositioned around 190,000 mt of food commodities in hard to reach areas in preparation for the rainy season.
The Logistics Cluster is facilitating on behalf of WHO the transportation of Oxygen concentrators and case management related commodities. Deliveries have been completed for Agok, Aweil Bentiu, Kuajok, Malakal, Rumbek, and Wau. UNHAS is supporting with the delivery of these commodities to Raja, Renk, Torit, Yambio and Yei.
WFP has already responded to over 300,000 people in flood affected areas every month since June, mainly through its Lean Season Response and Rapid Response Mechanism  ( RRM )  in hard to reach areas.
Following the arrival of COVID 19 Personal Protective Equipment  ( PPE )  in South Sudan, WFP through the Logistics Cluster, and WHO, as co leads of the Operational Support and Logistics Pillar of the National Response Plan, re launched the PPE Common Request System.
UNHAS transported 1,800 passengers and 35.1 mt of light humanitarian cargo to 52 destinations across South Sudan. UNHAS performed three medical evacuations on behalf of three organization from Ajuong Thok, Wau and Maban to Juba. UNHAS performed four Inter Cluster Working Group missions with 23 passengers to five locations. UNHAS transported 20kg of COVID19 suspected samples from Agok, Rubkona, Aweil and Wau to Juba.
The South Sudan – Uganda air border reopened on 1 October 2020 after a six month closure. The opening is expected to lead to an increase of cross border population flow. Entry to South Sudan continues to require a certificate showing a negative PCR test result, taken with 72 hours of arrival, and 14 days quarantine upon arrival.
The Logistics Cluster is consolidating requests on a weekly basis for the Inter agency technical team to review and allocate the COVID 19 PPE items. As of 28 September 2020, 118 requests had been approved from 46 organizations, with 493,476 PPE items allocated from the common pool to be received in 70 locations across South Sudan.
The Logistics Cluster coordinated the departure of one road humanitarian convoy towards Yei, Central Equatoria State.
On Monday, 5 October, a WFP boat convoy carrying food assistance from Bor, Jonglei State, to Melut and Malakal, Upper Nile State, was attacked near Shambe North, Lakes State.
Cueibet county, in particular, saw high levels of violence.
The port in Mingkaman, Lakes State, has been flooded due to the ongoing heavy rains. WFP is exploring alternative ways of delivering food overland and how river transport can still be used in the area. An assessment was conducted at the port and it was recommended to increase the number of porters to reduce the amount of time it takes to offload a single boat
An estimated 800,000 individuals have been affected by flooding since June across South Sudan. WFP is targeting flood affected people in need of food assistance. More than 500,000 people were reached with assistance in September.
In Unity State, tensions remain high due to continued violence and threats of violence between communities from Mayom and communities from Warrap and from Abiemnhom.
This pattern has included human rights abuses such as widespread sexual violence and targeted killings, and destruction of livestock and property
As part of the USAID funded Juba COVID 19 response, in kind food distributions are ongoing for the Juba Urban Safety Nets project, providing beneficiaries with their September ration. So far, 27,400 beneficiaries have been reached with food assistance in 11 locations in Juba.
A subsequent report by the same authors, covering Western Equatoria over the April August 2018 period, found that 505 women and 63 girls were abducted by opposition forces and reported 43 cases of rape or gang rape, as well as sexual slavery.
In South Sudan, WFP seeks to address entrenched inequity and isolation, with the goal of leaving no one behind and contributing to unity, interconnectedness, and peace in the long term, while maintaining its core life saving programming. Recognizing that achieving Zero Hunger requires addressing conflict as a recurrent shock which directly causes – and is itself influenced by – severe and extreme food insecurity, WFP South Sudan is working towards a strategic framework on Contributions to Peace in South Sudan.
Under the Communities Care Programme  ( CCP ) , 100 people  ( 14 girls, 11 boys, 43 women and 32 men )  were engaged in social norms transformation discussions and action courses to support positive changes in beliefs and perceptions about GBV within their communities.
In preparation for the resumption of classes for candidates in October, UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Education and General Instruction  ( MoGEI ) , prepositioned supplies for the safe reopening of schools. The supplies which include cloth face masks, teaching and learning materials, recreation kits, hand washing facilities, water storage tanks, thermometers, and dignity kits for adolescent girls will be distributed to over 1,400 primary and secondary schools. The Education Cluster partners are supporting the MoGEI to implement school opening guidelines and get students back to schools through mobilising communities and teachers and the provision of essential supplies.
Over 300,000 individuals have benefited from the distribution of core pipeline supplies and WASH sector Non Food Items which include jerri cans, buckets, soap and water treatment chemicals by UNICEF.
According to the Ministry of Health, following the announcement by the Government of Uganda to open its borders /points of entry  ( air and land )  on 1 October 2020, the border on the South Sudanese to remain closed until capacity for the anticipated increase in crossings to and from Uganda and South Sudan amongst returnees, refugees, and traders, in terms of screening, sampling, testing, contact tracing, and quarantine are scaled up
Partners continue providing services, including in flood affected areas. The Cluster worked on guidelines and tools to revitalize the involvement of community nutrition volunteers
UNHAS Steering Committee took place on September 25. Concerns were raised on the financial sustainability of UNHAS, as it is only funded until the end of December. This is a result of lower than average cost recovery because of COVID related reduction in travelers since March 2020.
During the reporting month, the International Community agreed to mainstream COVID 19 into existing coordination structures as opposed to the previously agreed vertical coordination mechanisms. UNICEF continues to participate in the inter agency protection of sexual exploitation and abuse  ( PSEA )  task force, which functions under the auspices of the Special Representative of the Secretary General  ( SRSG ) /Resident Coordinator  ( RC ) /Humanitarian Coordinator  ( HC ) , and plays an active role to advocate for better protection of children against sextual exploitation and abuse  ( SEA ) .
During the reporting period, UNICEF and implementing partners reached 1,313 people  ( 215 girls, 242 boys, 476 women, 380 men )  with Gender Based Violence  ( GBV )  prevention, response and risk mitigation messages.
During the reporting period, UNICEF and partners reached 5,472 children  ( 3,232 boys and 2,240 girls )  with psychosocial support activities in child friendly spaces, schools and communities in Jonglei, Central and Eastern Equatoria, and Upper Nile, raising the total to 25,407 children reached since January 2020.
During the reporting month, 5,000 solar powered radios were distributed to support the radio distance learning programme. Each state received 500 radios which were distributed to the most vulnerable households with school aged children based on a prior agreed criteria. In addition, UNICEF and partners distributed radio programme learning materials to 1,765 children  ( 852 girls and 913 boys ) . The learning materials include exercise books, pens, pencils, textbooks and dignity kits for adolescent girls
UNICEF is currently completing the delivery of third quarter essential drugs and medical equipment to all the supported health facilities in the 25 counties in Upper Nile and Jonglei States. Additional essential medicines, including antimalarials and measles vaccines, have also been distributed through rapid response missions, reaching more than 42,000 people, including 11,500 children.
During the reporting period, UNICEF worked through the field offices to support flood response interventions in the affected counties of Duk, Pochalla, Pibor, Twic East  ( Jonglei State )  and Mathiang and Renk  ( Upper Nile State )  amongst others
UNICEF continues to work closely with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and other partners to support life saving emergency integrated primary health care services.
In addition, a Nutrition Cluster GBV action plan was developed, based on GBV safety audits which were conducted on nutrition sites in 2019 and 2020.
Through the Nutrition Cluster Partners, a total of 1,158,937 pregnant women and caregivers of children 0 23 months were reached with infant and young child feeding individual counselling services. A total of 1,697,683 children aged 6  59 months were reached with vitamin A supplementation in the first semester of 2020 which represents 57.9 per cent of the target of 2,933,723. A similar coverage of 60.8 per cent was also achieved for deworming of children aged 12  59 months . A total of 1,469,845 children were reached out of a target of 2,416,109 children.
Mothers/caretakers were trained on Family mid upper arm circumference  ( MUAC )  to determine the nutrition status of their own children at family levels and ensure self referrals to the nearest nutrition sites. The nutrition response is ongoing in all the flood affected counties as per the comprehensive response plan which was developed at state levels.
In the Malakal PoC site, IOM Care and Maintenance teams continued to mitigate against flooding and protection risks, as well as working to enhance the delivery of humanitarian services, facilitate access of IDPs and ensuring site planning and development that supports the dignified living conditions for the site population
During this quarter, the CCCM Cluster supported revisions to the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan  ( HRP )  through the COVID 19 addendum. During the HRP revision process, the Cluster engaged CCCM partners to ensure a common approach is used to disseminate awareness raising messages for COVID 19. CCCCM Cluster partners also finalized contingency plans for all PoC sites. In addition, the Cluster finalized Dead Body Management Standard Operating Procedures  ( SoP )  to clarify the roles and responsibilities of Camp Management and partners related to COVID 19 fatalities in the PoCs. In this quarter, Cluster partners reached more than 327,000 IDPs with camp management services and COVID 19 prevention and control activities.
In the Wau Protection of Civilians Adjacent Area  ( PoCAA ) , CM teams have been working on site decongestion plan during Quarter 2. Observing the recent changes in site population, CCCM promotes close monitoring of empty shelters to improve security and enhance COVID 19 prevention as the PoCAA remains one of the most congested sites in the country
To address this issue, Camp Management, through a network of frontline community mobilizers, has been mapping rumours and community perceptions on COVID 19 in Bentiu and Wau PoCs, as well as collective centers under IOM's Camp Management area of operations.
In Abyei Administrative Area, IOM conducted awareness raising on COVID 19 for 3,075 individuals.
IOM has started the dissemination of COVD 19 related radio messages, combined with protection, gender equality, and GBV mainstreaming, with City FM 88.4, reaching communities in a 280 km radius from Juba. The key agenda in the seventh radio included COVID 19 preventive measures, community engagement, and related challenges, as well as IOM COVID0 19 responses at the community level.
IOM maintains COVID 19 awareness and hygiene promotion activities for communities at Bentiu and Malakal PoCs, as well as outside the PoCs in Nimule, Wau, Twic, Magwi, and Juba. Hygiene promotion sessions were held at water points and through house to house campaigns, including through the utilization of megaphones, reaching 469,691 individuals  ( 99,591 girls, 99,099 boys, 150,383 women, 118,495 men, including 2,123 persons with special needs )  country wide, with key messages including signs and symptoms and prevention measures, all aligned with the Risk Communication and Community Engagement Technical Working Group guidance. In addition, IOM displayed awareness messages on COVID 19 at the 705 IOM installed handwashing stations
DTM South Sudan continued the COVID 19 Mobility Impact exercise, providing information on movement restrictions, active measures, and the impact of the outbreak on different population groups in the country for 90 locations across the country, including land and blue border points, airports, and internal transit points and areas  ( towns, cities ) . Three new sites were added during the reporting period. Data is available at the DRM South Sudan geoportal.
The Logistics Cluster coordinated the departure of two road humanitarian convoy towards the Western Corridor, enabling the transportation of over 600 mt of humanitarian cargo.
The WASH Emergency Preparedness and Response  ( EPnR )  team deployed to Tonji South and East in Warrap State, and Arun Junction in Central Equatoria State, to respond to conflict displacement. To support the COVID 19 response, IOM continued to maintain 680 handwashing stations in Malakal PoC, Bentiu PoC, Wau PoC, Wau, Twic, Juba, and Magwi. IOM also continued to conduct COVID 19 awareness raising and hygiene promotion activities through a network of 293 community hygiene promoters, reaching 1,009,301 individuals in Bentiu PoC, Malakal PoC, Wau, Twic, Juba, and Magwi in August.
IOM continued to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene  ( WASH )  services to over 133,369 IDPs in Bentiu, Malakal, and Wau PoC sites. Outside the PoCs, IOM completed the construction of the institutional latrines in three primary schools in Wau and Juba, as well as the construction of communal latrines in five public markets and one IOM Women and Girl Friendly Space in Wau and Juba.
In the Abyei Administrative area, IOM trained 14 social mobilizers on COVID 19 awareness raising, focusing on effective face mask usage, hygiene, and other COVID 19 preventive measures. The mobilizers distributed 9,000 locally produced face masks to 4,592 vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, women traders, community police, prison detainees, and frontline workers in Abyei.
In Tonj South, Warrap, IOM's housing, land, and property  ( HLP )  team conducted a protection and HLP assessment. In addition, IOM reaffirmed its partnership with the Ministry of Land, Housing, and Urban Development to support the review of the 2019 Draft Land Policy
In collaboration with the IOM WASH unit, the S NFI team distributed plastic sheets, blanket, kanga, solar lamps, dignity kits, soap, and buckets to 850 conflict affected households, benefitting 5,100 individuals  ( male 2,406 and female 2,694 )  in Juba County in Central Equatoria.
IOM also continued supporting Functional Adult Literacy  ( FAL )  Community Based Facilitators to conduct COVID 19 awareness raising and FAL activities through home visits for 100 women beneficiaries. In addition, IOM supported 25 community members through cash for work to produce 7,546 COVID 19 facemasks in areas of high return in Lokoloko and Jebel Kheir. IOM distributed 5,000 facemasks in the PoC and Collective sites in Wau.
In partnership with the Inter State Committee on Cattle Seasonal Migration  ( ICCSM ) , IOM conducted a Mobile Peace Response intervention in Wau to address tensions related to early cattle migration within Jur River. In the Agok area, the ICCSM and IOM facilitated negotiations, which led to 827 head of cattle leaving the villages of Gotongo and Golingo to go back to the area of Maluil Boma, where the area's Executive Chief had accepted them through the Marial Bai Agreement protocols
“Though the intensity of the conflict has reduced since the signing of the peace agreement, the country is still facing devastating human and financial costs as a result of the protracted crisis. This is why we must make available the muchneeded support to enable the most vulnerable people find their way to transition and recovery,' Chauzy  ( IOM South Sudan's Chief of Mission, Jean Philippe Chauzy )  added.
The proportion of people facing acute food insecurity decreased from 6.1 million, or 59 per cent of the whole population, the number of people with severe food insecurity that was recorded at the same time last year, to 54 per cent.
The International Organization for Migration  ( IOM )  has received new funding from the United States Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance  ( USAID/ BHA )  to step up humanitarian response and recovery efforts in South Sudan.
During the reporting period, the S NFI cluster reached a total of 20,756 individuals with provisions of emergency shelter and non food items to the most vulnerable households who are not able to meet their basic household needs. To date, the Cluster reached 711,089 individuals in 2020, representing 70% of its target in the Humanitarian Response Plan 2020.
Health and WASH activities are being conducted by the International Rescue Committee in Rubkona County, and Medair in Juba County. In Yei County, Torit, and Nimule, the Norwegian Refugee Council commenced WASH activities, while United Networks for Health began health activities. Projects are expected to continue over nine months.
In Wau, 13 counsellors from four international and national organizations were trained on remote MHPSS  Mental Health and Psychosocial Support service provision aimed at quality services and operation of the hotline. At the Yoanyan clinic in Rubkona, IOM completed the construction of a tukul for MHPSS recreational activities. In Malakal, IOM's MHPSS teams are supporting a men's group with fishnet production to enhance self reliance.
Following the project inception, the Director General of Civil Registry and Immigration set up a Technical Working Group  ( TWG )  to work on drafting a policy on identity management. IOM facilitated four weekly meetings whereby a pathway toward having identity management policy was agreed upon. The Terms of Reference for an Identity Management Expert was drafted and discussed with the TWG, and then the vacancy notice for the expert was published. A selection interview took place within this reporting period and two experts have been identified.
In Quarter 2, IOM and the Ministry of Health led an assessment team to Wunthou Points of Entry  ( PoE )  site in Renk, Upper Nile on the northern corridors of the South Sudan and Sudan border. The purpose of the assessment was to identify the current capacities and level of preparedness at the PoEs, specifically; to assess institutional capacities  ( government and non  government )  on COVID 19 preparedness and response; to identify and assess critical infrastructure responding to COVID 19, and to assess coordination structures within and across the border
In quarter two, IOM provided inputs into the UN's Socioeconomic Impact Response Plan to COVID 19. Through the lens of migration management, IOM identified that COVID 19 has created “new vulnerable group' in addition to those previously identified prior to COVID 19. This new vulnerable group includes people who have lost their jobs due to the slowing down of the economy, among those are labor migrants from neighboring countries.
A ‘national' approach to AAP is not appropriate, and AAP mechanisms will need to be contextualized to reflect the practices of specific communities. Accountability systems are context specific and a single system cannot be simply replicated across the entire country, there is no one size fits all. In a country with over 60 ethnic groups, this makes the task more difficult for aid agencies, but will ensure that communities will be better able to both ‘own' and support the resulting aid accountability system.
Using the survey questionnaires developed during quarter one, IOM began a collaboration with Diasporas Action Australia  ( DAA ) , who conducted survey with South Sudanese diaspora communities in Australia. In depth interview was conducted with selected diaspora members to generate information on the role of diasporas in South Sudanese development. The Policy Research on Remittances and Diasporas engagement is in the final stage of the drafting. The first draft has been reviewed and will be validated through a virtual workshop planned in August 2020. Following the completion of the report, a policy team has been formed to assist in transforming the research into gender sensitive policy on remittances and diaspora engagement.
During this second quarter, IOM finalized the first study on TIP in South Sudan. This study was jointly conducted with the Technical Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants. The report titled “Trafficking in Persons in South Sudan: Prevalence, Challenges and Responses' highlighted the areas in which TIP are prevalent and mapped out the deficits in response and legal framework that impact TIP deterrence. The study also provides a set of strategic and practical recommendations to address the crime through 5P approaches; policy, prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership. The report is also supplemented with a research brief for policy makers and government leadership which concisely presents the findings and recommendations. This report will be launched in July to commemorate the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July
The Identity Management project aims to strengthen the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration's  ( DCRNPI )  capacity to enforce its Civil Registry Act of 2018, particularly Chapter VI Article 33 and 34, which focuses on identity management.
During the assessment in Wunthou, IOM mapped out critical needs which require comprehensive responses which include; addressing the capacities of frontline workers including COVID 19 sensitization, improving WASH infrastructure, strengthening whole of government response in responding to the pandemic whilst being sensitive about the transmission, and supporting front line officers to consider protection concerns of the people on the move.
More research is needed on women's groups and movements, and their specific roles in using gender norms to their advantage to prevent or end conflict and hold individuals to account. Women's roles in encouraging or ending conflict and holding young men to account, such as the kaberaze, are not well known. Understanding how women negotiate within their communities to exercise power will allow the aid community to re enforce positive practices that it might not be aware of, and that are embraced by communities themselves.
In September, the Logistics Cluster facilitated the transport of 484 mt of humanitarian cargo to 41 destinations on behalf of 39 organisations, of which 35% wastransported by river and road
Acute malnutrition has been a protracted problem in South Sudan with the death of some 17,000 under five children in 2018 attributable to undernutrition.
Interactions and negotiations need to be done at community level in a way that is regular, open and inclusive, rather than ad hoc and behind closed doors. Coordination at the national, state and local levels are critical for ensuring the effective use of scarce resources. However, the expediency of efficient coordination among national and international aid actors should not take precedence over the full participation of communities in decisions that affect their lives. Regular forums are needed where local, state and international actors come together to define objectives, intended recipients of assistance, and how communities can hold aid actors to account. While making decisions in Juba can be easier and faster for aid actors, this effectively cuts communities out of the decision making process.
The role of women in shaming practices also seems to be central to the Murle in Pibor, where agesets have been engaged in violent confrontations. During fighting in the rural settlement of Manyumen in 2017, between the local lango and kurenen age sets, it is said that elder women from the area started to organize themselves and talk to the youth. Tired with the disobedience of the young men, they threatened to take their clothes off if the fighting did not come to an end. This would not only be shameful for the young men, but also dangerous, for seeing one's mother naked is considered to be a sign of future misfortune, and possibly even death. To the great surprise of many, the threats of these women, now popularly referred to as kaberaze, were effective in stopping the fighting, and this practice has since been repeated with relative success by older women in other Murle communities when the fighting re ignited. Women's effectiveness in holding young men to account was praised by the former Boma State authorities.
This declining authority of chiefs among Nuer and Murle young men has meant that it is difficult for them to hold young men to account for violence, as they no longer fear their administrative, political and judicial power. This research reinforces these conclusions, at least among the Murle and Lou Nuer, indicating that social change, civil wars and the politicisation of the role of chiefs has significantly eroded their legitimacy with mainly rural youth. This has meant that chiefs are increasingly seen as the weak link in accountability chains, unable to meet expectations within either hierarchical or reciprocal accountability systems. This has exposed them to threats from and disrespect by young men, as noted above, or to being side lined by state or humanitarian systems
Through its Emergency, Preparedness & Response Team, IOM continued to provide emergency WASH services toflood and conflict affected populations in Mapel, Tonj South and Tonj North.
Agencies should document and report on joint decisions with communities, not simply consultation. Accountability is not simply consultation but involves communication, feedback and joint decision making in the relationship between aid actors and members of local communities. As part of their reporting and learning, agencies should reflect on and share best practices around joint decision making where communities are reporting that they feel they are being listened to and can identify decisions that they actively participated in.
Invest in more sustained and systematic dialogue with rural communities, particularly young men, mediated by local civil society groups based in, and trusted by, these communities. The disconnect between urban based/national decision making and rural communities is a significant concern. It is a barrier to improving downwards accountability and hinders productive dialogues to support peace. Young men in rural areas, particularly those whose lives are deeply enmeshed in the cattle camps, have distrust for towns, urban elites, and by extension, the international aid community. Improving the aid community's relationship with these young men must be seen as a priority.
Following excessive flooding in Pibor, IOM conducted a mass Oral Cholera Vaccination  ( OCV )  campaign to protect the community from an anticipated cholera outbreak. IOM provided a range of support, including technical knowledge, coordination, procurement and logistics, and communication. To manage the implementation of the campaign, IOM developed a micro plan in collaboration with partners such as Ministry of Health/County Health Department, WHO, UNICEF and Live Well
The South Sudan country task force on monitoring and reporting on children and armed conflict supported the release of 57 children  ( 54 boys and 3 girls )  by the South Sudan Peoples' Defence Forces  ( 1 boy ) , the South Sudan National Police Service  ( 1 boy ) , SSOA  ( 2 boys ) , the South Sudan United Front/Army  ( SSUF/A )   ( 15 boys )  and SPLM/A IO  ( 35 boys and 3 girls ) .
During the COVID 19 lockdown, many humanitarian players will most likely be resorting to cash as the most feasible means to support vulnerable communities. This increased access to cash by communities is likely to put a strain on the supply of goods and services. Concurrent interventions to increase the capacity of the market to respond to this increase in demand are therefore required.
During this quarter, IOM South Sudan's Migration Health Unit  ( MHU )  continue to provide life saving primary health care services to vulnerable populations residing inside and outside of PoCs, including internally displaced persons  ( IDPs ) , returnees, and flood affected host communities in Unity, Upper Nile, Western Bahr El Ghazal, and Central Equatoria. In addition, MHU provided HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services for key populations in various locations across the country and is actively involved in COVID 19 and EVD preparedness and response activities.
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the EVD National Taskforce requested that IOM continue managing the PoEs that are also considered a high priority in the COVID 19 National Operational Plan, which include Juba International Airport  ( JIA ) , Nimule Checkpoint, and Wau airport.
IOM Rapid Response Teams  ( RRT )  missions provided emergency primary health care services to returnees and conflict affected host communities in Kajo Keji County, targeting three hard to reach areas of return in Jalimo, Kinyiba, and Bori. In addition to providing these services, IOM supported the capacity building of the Ministry of Health staff on basic consultation, surveillance, and reporting.
Based on the agreed micro plan, the OCV campaign was conducted in Pibor county from 2 April 2020 for six days. A total of 22,476 People above the age of one were targeted through the OVC campaign, and 16,455  ( 73.2% )  people received the oral cholera vaccine from 31 March to 8 April 2020.
Through support from GAVI, a total of 10,047 children were vaccinated for different antigens. In addition, a total of 1,847 women and girls of reproductive age were vaccinated for Tetanus and Diphtheria  ( TD ) .
During this quarter, IOM supported 25 health facilities with primary health care and routine immunizations, deployed two rapid response team  ( RTT )  missions, provided HIV services across eight states, and supported three points of entry  ( PoEs )  with COVID 19/ EVD screening.
Challenges faced during the campaign included the inability access the villages and areas where the communities were displaced due to high water levels.
To support the community led total sanitation  ( CLTS )  efforts in Diopok, the community selected community hygiene promoters and sanitation committee members who were trained by IOM on raising awareness, and were provided with digging tools to support the community in digging latrines
To ameliorate some of these issues, IOM, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development  ( USAID ) , drilled and rehabilitated one borehole to give access to safe and clean water, and reduce tensions between community members. Members of the community were also trained on Community water source management and vital hygiene practices
The greatest COVID 19 impact on agriculture will likely be in Greater Bahr el Ghazal, where cereals production has remained largely steady throughout the crisis period. The current planting season – unlike much of Greater Equatoria, most of Greater Bahr el Ghazal only has one planting season – will face new challenges as the outbreak evolves.
There will be a need to mitigate local prices through the aforementioned measures to minimize the potential for a demand to push prices up.
Online training of trainers  ( ToT )  for remote Mental Health and Psychosocial Support  ( MHPSS )  service provision during the COVID 19 pandemic was conducted at the end of June, and involved all field locations. This ToT supported the skills development of local MHPSS professionals to enable them to provide remote MHPSS services throughout the country.
In South Sudan, up to 95 percent of the population depend on natural resources for farming, fishing, herding and fuel collection as well as production to meet their food and income needs. The COVID 19 pandemic and its response will likely impact the natural resources sector in several ways affecting food security, livelihoods, energy sufficiency, environmental sustainability, water access, peace and the ability to deal with natural disasters.
The IPC analysis conducted in January 2020 estimated that between May and July, an additional 134 000 people in rural areas are likely to be severely food insecure when compared to August 2019. In total, an estimated 1.572 million people are expected to be in severe acute food insecurity between May and July 2020 due to the combined effects of COVID 19, the persistent macroeconomic crisis and other seasonal factors that contribute to food insecurity.
A study found that girls do not feel safe going to latrines in schools as many lack doors and are not segregated by sex.
The influx of 214,000 refugee returnees and returnees from within South Sudan with unknown immunity status poses a further challenge for increased disease burdens, including potential cross border transmission of diseases like Ebola and cholera.
Although progress is being made to resolve the political conflict, localized inter  and intra communal violence continues to be perpetrated by various community groups. The escalation in intercommunal violence in some parts of the country over the past few months is likely to be aggravated by the pandemic. In particular, infection rates and a securitized response within an environment of low trust in public institutions is the likely cause of increases in violence, as seen in observations from the EVD outbreak.
During the reporting period, there were 2,814 COVID 19 related awareness raising sessions held in the PoCs and 2,654 sessions held in host communities and hard toreach areas country wide. The MHPSS team also expanded its operations through small scale interventions at Yoanyang Health Clinic in Rubkona town, Unity State and through the establishment of the Malakia Centre at Malakal.
As part of COVID 19 preparedness and response, IOM Mental Health and Psychosocial Support  ( MHPSS )  launched a reusable face mask production activity across all field locations. During Quarter 2, 18,283 reusable face masks were produced in Wau, Bentiu and Malakal by displaced community groups  ( 190 women and 74 men ) , and distributed to the beneficiaries and diverse humanitarian actors, including IOM teams delivering frontline services to IDP communities in conflict affected areas across the country
During Quarter two, successful cooperation was established with the representatives from the Ministry of Health and Environment in the Unity and Wester Bahr el Ghazal States. The establishment of the hotlines is progressing well with support from counterparts willing to host hotlines on the Ministry's premises in Bentiu and Wau towns. This approach ensures sustainability and nurturing of the ownership among government counterparts towards the operation of remote MHPSS services.
The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support  ( MHPSS )  team participates on a regular basis in inter agency assessments. In May, the MHPSS team conducted a needs assessment together with protection and S NFI teams in Hai Masna and Mapel, Western Bahr el Ghazal State. The assessment was followed by a rapid MHPSS response to provide support to the most vulnerable beneficiaries which included the distribution of 65 MHPSS care kits, consisting of items such as slippers, mosquito nets, reusable face masks and locally produced soaps.
IOM Psychosocial Mobile Teams  ( PMTs )  also significantly contributed to risk communication and community engagement to promote adherence to COVID 19 precautionary measures and to prevent spread of rumors and misinformation among communities.
At the same time, IOM continued to provide WASH services and gender based violence  ( GBV )  mainstreaming, gender based violence  ( GBV )  prevention and response interventions provision of WASH services to returnees and host communities, living in transitional and post crisis situations in Juba, Magwi, Wau, Twic and Bentiu.
Capacity building trainings for community leadership structures were also provided, for community leaders, women leaders, youth and religious leaders. These trainings were held across all field locations to facilitate community driven awareness raising on MHPSS considerations during the COVID 19 pandemic, included topics covering the prevention of COVID 19, provision of psychological first aid  ( PFA )  and the application of MHPSS referral pathways.
The interaction of COVID 19, public health measures, and social responses to the outbreak may work to curtail yields in several key areas of the region, particularly those most exposed to traffic and main markets on the Western Corridor. However, unlike in areas of Greater Equatoria and Greater Upper Nile, where agriculture remains severely depressed in the aftermath of historically exceptional flooding, the ripple effects of COVID 19 in Greater Bahr el Ghazal is a threat to existing cereal production capacity. The potential for such capacity to not return or expand is particularly threatened.
The Ministry of Health through the Central Medical Stores reached out to the Operational Support and Logistics Pillar to transport essential COVID 19 commodities to the field. The Logistics Cluster collected and dispatched COVID 19 related items destined for Malakal Teaching Hospital, Upper Nile State Ministry of Health and Jonglei State Ministry of Health.
COVID 19 monitoring and impact assessment. FAO's post COVID 19 recovery phase intervention will require a comprehensive assessment and analysis of the impact in order to identify hard hit areas as far as food and livelihood security are concerned.
Furthermore, intercommunal and other localized violence will exacerbate the expected delays to humanitarian response as a result of the pandemic. WHO may struggle to contain the COVID 19 outbreak and humanitarians may be unable to reach populations in need if insecurity prevents them from reaching affected areas.
Lengthy and porous borders compound the challenge of managing risks associated with human mobility and outbreaks; South Sudan has long land borders with the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and the Sudan. Preventive measures aimed at reducing these risks may devastate local economies, particularly for the regular purchase of staple foods, urban casual labour markets and rural agricultural labour markets.
However, for oil producing countries like South Sudan, the compounding impact of drastically reduced incomes could be devastating. Growth in the oil and mining sectors in South Sudan was estimated at 10.7 percent and exports of oil were projected to increase by 23 percent, bolstered by a 27 percent increase in daily production from an estimated 133 295 barrels per day  ( bpd )  during financial year  ( FY )  2018/19 to 169 000 bpd during FY 2019/20  ( World Bank, 2020 ) . However, these overall gains now seem unlikely due to the effects of COVID 19.The Government of South Sudan relies on oil revenue for 98 percent of its annual operating budget. It based its 2019/20 budget on an oil price of USD 55 per barrel – but April saw the international spot price for oil crash, with May futures for West Texas Intermediate  ( WTI – the United States of America benchmark oil price )  closing at USD  37.63 on 20 April. The plummeting oil prices will impact government revenue, affecting its ability to meet import obligations and public service salary payments that are already in arrears.
UNMISS recorded one incident of SPLM/A IO interference with the implementation of the Mission's mandated tasks, in which a Mission patrol was denied access to the Sue cantonment site in Western Equatoria. The Mission continued to notify the Government of the violations through notes verbales and regular engagements and to share with it the monthly matrix of incidents prepared for the Security Council.
The Mission is currently operating in an environment where medical evacuations of its international staff for either COVID 19 or non COVID 19 cases are challenging, in the light of severe restrictions on movement of patients and global shortages of suitable assets and treatment facilities for COVID 19 cases, in particular.
In response to the ongoing COVID 19 emergency, UNMISS reprioritized its activities in support of national response efforts to prevent, mitigate and respond to the outbreak, focusing in particular on areas where local capacity is limited at the subnational level. Awareness campaigns have been intensified, using mobile teams, promotional trucks, Radio Miraya and other local radio stations. Construction projects to renovate or rehabilitate health facilities have been launched in eight locations, building isolation and treatment wards in State level hospitals.
During the reporting period, UNMISS worked within COVID 19 restrictions to prioritize implementation of its protection of civilians mandate both within and outside of the protection of civilians sites through a sustained presence in con flict hotspots, safe engagement with communities and support to reconciliation and dialogue initiatives. For example, in Jonglei and Warrap, UNMISS established temporary operating bases at Likuangole and Tonj to deter violence and instil confidence in displaced communities. However, the Mission faced considerable pressure from security forces to either restrict its activities or shut down its temporary operating bases on the grounds of COVID 19 prevention measures.
A total of 170 humanitarian access incidents were reported in the first quarter of 2020, an 18 per cent increase from the 144 in the same period in 2019, owing mainly to localized intercommunal violence. More than 110 aid workers were relocated as a result of escalating tensions. From 1 April to 21 May, 99 access incidents were recorded, of which 22 per cent were related to COVID 19 restrictions, hindering the movement of humanitarian actors and the delivery of assistance.
In the context of COVID 19, the United Nations documented a number of violations linked with the enforcement of measures to prevent the spread of the disease, including arbitrary arrest and detention, ill treatment, and extortion by national defense and security forces.
From 16 to 22 February, UNMISS facilitated a mobile court session in Bentiu, which resolved 26 individual cases, including allegations of rape, sexual assault and damage to United Nations property. Owing to COVID 19 restrictions, other planned mobile court sessions were postponed. However, UNMISS facilitated remote investigations and bail hearings for nine individuals accused of murder, armed robbery, attempted rape and assault to address a backlog of 13 cases in Bentiu. A total of 20 witnesses appeared. Remote hearings for the remaining four cases were paused owing to increased COVID 19 measures.
UNMISS aviation assets were used to support UNHCR in facilitating the return of 34 internally displaced persons from the Juba protection of civilians sites and 1 from the Bor site to areas of return. Approximately 2,962 internally displaced persons in Juba, 79 in Malakal, 500 in Bentiu and 939 in Wau requested return assistance; however, COVID 19 measures hindered movement. In addition, humanitarian partners provided return assistance to 1,675 internally displaced persons from the Wau protection of civilians site.
United Nations police conducted 2,061 patrols and 1,134 access control activities within the protection of civilians sites and continued to expand their outward projection posture and footprint through 904 confidence  and trust building patrols, 45 short duration patrols, 19 long duration patrols, 3 dynamic air patrols and 458 high visibility patrols. United Nations police community policing activities, search operations within the sites, co location with the South Sudan National Police Service and capacity building and technical assistance workshops, were suspended owing to COVID 19.
UNMISS also continued to support justice actors to promote accountability for serious offences and process priority cases. As part of its support for juvenile justice reform, from 9 to 13 March, UNMISS facilitated a practice based training for 50 prison officials assigned to the Juvenile Reformatory Centre in Juba. The curriculum was designed to reinforce the operations manual for juvenile reformatories that national prison officials had developed with technical support from UNMISS. In March and April, UNMISS provided technical, logistical and coordination support to national justice actors to hold juvenile hearings at Juba Central Prison.