The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) earlier today said it was grateful for the generous contribution of EUR 5 million from the European Union (EU) to support the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) and the Logistics Cluster (LC) in South Sudan.
According to the WFP, more than 8 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance after record floods, conflict and COVID-19 have worsened the situation, following earlier years of conflict.
“UNHAS remains the only common air service available for the entire humanitarian community in the country. Due to poor infrastructure, seasonal challenges, demographic constraints, and aviation gaps, the humanitarian community relies heavily on the WFP-run air service to safely reach areas of operation,” WFP’s press statement read. “The EU’s contribution will help UNHAS to provide air transport services to 30,000 passengers and to transport 480 metric tons of light cargo in support of 290 humanitarian organizations across the country.”
WFP said the funding will also support the Logistics Cluster, which serves as a coordination body that provides logistics support to the humanitarian community through the facilitation of key logistical services.
These services include transportation of humanitarian cargo, warehousing, operational information management, logistics preparedness, and representation at decision-making forums.
Matthew Hollingworth, WFP’s Country Director in South Sudan, said: “UNHAS and the Logistics Cluster allow humanitarian organizations to reach the most remote areas of South Sudan, ensuring that assistance reaches those who need it most. This would not be possible without the support from donors like the European Union.”
South Sudan is currently facing its highest levels of food insecurity since the country declared independence ten years ago, with 60 percent of the population increasingly hungry and 1.4 million children and 500,000 pregnant and lactating women malnourished.
“This contribution is a top-up from the original allocation that the European Union designated for WFP’s operations in South Sudan this year, increasing the total amount to EUR 7.5 million. The European Union is a long-standing partner of WFP in South Sudan and has contributed a total of €95.5 million to WFP’s activities over the past five years,” the statement concluded.