Strengthening local gov’t is important for South Sudan’s transition – World Bank
The World Bank has echoed the importance of promoting community resilience and citizen empowerment as important elements during South Sudan’s transition into peace.
Speaking at the Enhancing Community Resilence and Local Governance Project mid-term review mission in March, Firas Raad, World Bank South Sudan’s Country Manager said, “promoting community resilience and strengthening local governance is important as South Sudan transitions to a new phase of political and economic development.”
As a local governance project, the Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project (ECRP) works closely with local chiefs and helps establish Boma and Payam Development Committees that support the implementation and monitoring of sub-projects at the community level.
During the transition, Raad said that South Sudan has been buffeted by external shocks.
“Record-level flooding and the COVID19 pandemic, which also underscores the importance of efforts to boost resilience and governance capacity among local communities,” Raad said.
The review process also included field visits to Wau, Ibba and Juba counties where infrastructural sub-projects are being implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The ECRP is a government-owned project and is implemented by UNOPS and IOM with funds from the World Bank.
Del Rumdit, the acting National Steering Committee Chair and Executive Secretary of the Local Government Board, called the working relationship with all partners of the project “good.”
“It has enabled us to successfully resolve emerging issues,” Rumdit said, hoping this project ends up as successful as the predecessor Local Governance and Service Delivery Project.
The ECRP aims to address the immediate needs for basic services in selected areas of South Sudan while strengthening the capacity of local institutions to better manage the country’s development and alleviate intercommunal tensions over services.
“We are trying to build community resilience and transition from emergency response. This project is a good example of combining infrastructure work with efforts to address immediate issues related to disaster reduction,” said Kristina Uzelac, IOM South Sudan’s Acting Head of Operations.
Priority is given to areas with high vulnerability as defined by the WB’s composite vulnerability index. The Project will be implemented from 3 September 2020 to 31 July 2023 in a total of 20 counties in 10 states across the country.
Peter Mutoredzanwa, Country Director and Representative of UNOPS in South Sudan said the project will ensure greater levels of sustainability going forward.
“We want our projects to be sustainable. We want to ensure that whatever we do through this project is for the benefit of the people of South Sudan,” he said.
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