UNITED NATIONS, Madagascar, Mozambique, and South Sudan – As climate change deepens existing gender inequalities, the ClimateEmpower programme is taking on the issue of climate vulnerability in Madagascar, Mozambique, and South Sudan. ClimateEmpower is spearheaded by UNFPA – the United Nations Population Fund, which is the sexual and reproductive health agency of the UN – and Zonta International, an international non-governmental organization. UNFPA and Zonta International have been in a global partnership since 2008, supporting programs on ending obstetric fistula, accelerating action to end child marriage, and preventing gender-based violence. Recognizing that the scale and complexity of the climate crisis cannot be addressed by governments alone, the ClimateEmpower program is designed to address these challenges by engaging communities, businesses, innovators, and local enterprises to strengthen climate resilience and advance gender equality. Below are five entrenched social challenges triggered by climate change, which the initiative is confronting head-on:1. Climate-induced displacement and stress are fueling a rise in gender-based violence.Social norms that accept or justify violence in marital or dating relationships remain deeply embedded across the three ClimateEmpower countries. In Madagascar, over 40 per cent of women report experiencing intimate partner violence, with about 41 per cent of women and 28 per cent of men believing wife-beating is justified. In South Sudan, intimate partner violence is normalized due to conflict, bride price practices and patriarchal control.These attitudes are magnified under climate stress. In South Sudan, extreme weather events such as floods and droughts have disrupted livelihoods and forced displacement, intensifying intimate partner violence and sexual exploitation. A 50 per cent increase in gender-based violence incidents was noted in climate crisis-affected areas. For example, Lual, a gender-based violence prevention officer with International Medical Corps, tells UNFPA that “delay in fetching water, due to droughts exacerbated by climate change, leads to an increase in domestic violence, as women and girls are exposed to beatings by their husbands”. In Mozambique, post-cyclone displacement has similarly increased exposure to violence, especially for women in informal settlements. By integrating gender-based violence prevention into climate action, ClimateEmpower is turning community dialogues into tools for both gender justice and resilience-building.2. Extreme weather and economic instability are driving an increase in child marriage as a survival tactic.The belief that a girl must obey her parents when it comes to marriage is particularly strong in rural and crisis-affected regions. In Mozambique, child marriage is normalized in many provinces — 56 per cent in Nampula and 61 per cent in Cabo Delgado — exacerbated by the ongoing conflict and recurrent climate-induced emergencies. In South Sudan, due to the risks associated with conflict and rampant poverty, parents opt to marry off their girls early to receive a higher bride price and to avoid adolescent pregnancies. Droughts and floods also worsen household economic stress, further incentivizing early marriage. A youth specialist in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, explained that young women in refugee camps face pressure when they are not married by a certain age: “When she requests support from parents, she receives an answer like, ‘You are an adult. It's your time to feed us. We cannot continue to offer you soap and clothes. Please wake up!’”ClimateEmpower addresses this through youth-focused Climate Innovation HackLabs, particularly targeting girls and young women entrepreneurs and innovators, to grow and scale innovation ideas into commercially viable actions or solutions to address these vulnerabilities in their communities. For instance, it is supporting the Mozambican women-led enterprise BAAIKE, which repurposes fishing nets and plastic waste into bicycles, thereby offering women and girls in remote areas a sustainable and safe means to access essential services, including healthcare and school.3. Drought and water scarcity are making safe menstrual hygiene management nearly impossible for millions.In several project regions, people who menstruate face isolation or unsafe hygiene practices due to taboos that view menstruation as impure. These norms not only harm girls’ self-esteem and undermine access to education, they also impede access to water, sanitation, and health services – which are increasingly strained by climate change.In Madagascar, where 95 per cent of women in vulnerable areas must travel over 30 minutes to fetch water, climate-induced drought makes menstrual hygiene management an even more serious concern. ClimateEmpower is working through women-led and youth-led solutions and education to address these intersecting vulnerabilities.4. Food insecurity and crisis-driven poverty are leading to higher rates of adolescent pregnancy.The notion that womanhood begins with motherhood pressures girls into early pregnancies and unions. In all three ClimateEmpower countries, adolescent fertility rates are high: In Mozambique, 36 per cent of girls become pregnant between the ages of 15 and 19. In South Sudan, this number is 30 per cent. The median age of sexual debut is 14 years, which increases the chances of adolescent pregnancies and death or disability from obstetric fistula or sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. These pressures intensify in times of crisis. In Madagascar’s Grand Sud, for example, food insecurity is pushing adolescents into negative coping strategies, such as transactional sex, which can lead to early childbearing.ClimateEmpower promotes alternative role models by establishing and supporting peer-led online and offline spaces for experience sharing, support seeking, and empowerment. The initiative also supports community advocacy and campaigns, encouraging girls to continue with education even if they have become pregnant or had a child.5. Climate disasters are destroying health infrastructure and cutting off life-saving sexual and reproductive health services.A pervasive belief across the region is that sexual and reproductive health services are only appropriate for married women. This restricts unmarried women and adolescents from accessing contraception and maternal healthcare, fueling cycles of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.Mozambique’s maternal mortality rate remains high (233 deaths per 100,000 live births), and climate disruptions, such as cyclones and prolonged droughts, have made maternal health services even less accessible. In South Sudan, maternal mortality remains one of the highest in the world (1223 per 100,000 live births), and climate-induced disasters make access to health services even scarcer.ClimateEmpower is using community education and youth empowerment program to destigmatize sexual and reproductive health and make it inclusive, even for adolescents and unmarried women. These lessons are not just for women and girls. Involving men and local leaders is helping to dismantle presumptions and stigmas at all levels. The program shows that, even as the climate crisis takes a devastating global toll, the response does not have to be limited to environmental action alone. We can use the climate response as an opportunity to dismantle harmful norms that have held women and girls back for generations. Doing so is its own form of climate justice: Empowering women and ending gender-based violence will lead to better and bolder community resilience – and this will pave the way for more inclusive climate action. 
 

In Wau’s Khor Malang suburb, concrete houses are steadily rising, offering displaced families a sense of permanence after years of instability. The homes are part of the government-led efforts under South Sudan’s National Durable Solutions Strategy and Plan of Action (2024–2028), which shifts the response to displacement from short-term humanitarian aid toward long-term recovery, development, and peacebuilding.Launched in October 2024, the strategy gained new momentum in January 2026, when the Government of South Sudan convened the first National Steering Committee on Durable Solutions in Juba. Co-chaired by Hon. Albino Akol Atak, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and Anita Kiki Gbeho, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, the meeting brought together national and state authorities, donors, UN agencies, and civil society partners.The discussions marked an important step translating policy commitments into coordinated actions on the ground. Opening the session, Minister Atak underscored the urgency of moving beyond crisis management.
“While we are seated here, our people continue to be affected by displacement in many parts of South Sudan,” he said. “This is why the Government has committed to moving from managing displacement to resolving it.” A shift in approachBy the end of 2025, South Sudan was hosting an estimated 2.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and more than 3 million returnees, driven by conflict, flooding, and spillover from the crisis in Sudan. While humanitarian assistance remains essential, participants emphasized that emergency aid alone cannot address the scale or protracted nature of displacement.“These are not just statistics,” Minister Atak noted. “They represent families seeking land, livelihoods, social services, security, and above all, hope.”Against this backdrop, the Steering Committee, under clear government leadership, agreed on the need to accelerate the transition toward recovery, stabilization, and development-focused efforts from 2026 onward.Shelter and livelihoods: Restoring stability Shelter and livelihoods were highlighted as core pillars of South Sudan's durable solutions agenda, providing displaced families with the foundation to rebuild their lives.In Wau, more than 1,800 displaced households have benefited from Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) due diligence, including land documentation and on-site dispute resolution. Of these, over 800 households have built durable homes through community-led construction approaches and are expected to move in by early March 2026, marking a major step toward permanent settlement.This initiative has also created livelihoods, with around 600 displaced and host community members trained and engaged through cash-for-work activities, including construction and the local production of building materials. Community members produced hundreds of thousands of compressed earth blocks as key housing components used directly in the settlement.In Bentiu, durable solutions efforts are combining climate-adapted shelter, land access, and livelihoods to support recovery in one of South Sudan’s most flood-prone areas. Displaced families are constructing flood-resilient homes using recycled plastic bottles filled with sand and locally available materials, offering a sustainable alternative to temporary shelters while creating skills and income for community members involved in construction.These initiatives form part of the Pakur Settlement Plan, one of the most visible durable solutions efforts in Unity State. By 2025, more than 5 square kilometers of previously flooded land had been reclaimed, allowing settlement for up to 18,000 people, with around 10,000 already settled. Livelihood recovery is underway, with approximately 1,000 people farming on reclaimed land across Bentiu, Rubkona, Mayom, and Norkur. The Ministry of Housing, Land and Public Utilities is leading land-use planning and tenure processes, while basic services including water, health facilities, and schools are being established. An additional 42 square kilometers of land is expected to be reclaimed in 2026, expanding access to land and livelihoods for thousands more. In Malakal, durable solutions initiatives are helping displaced families rebuild their lives while creating local economic opportunities. Construction of 325 transitional shelters using locally sourced materials and a cash-for-work approach has benefited over 1,950 people, providing safe, dignified housing and livelihoods for community members. Complementing this, a brick-making machine project launched in August 2025 is supplying affordable construction materials while generating jobs for displaced people and host communities. Education and skills development are also central to these efforts: the completion and handover of Joshua Primary School has expanded access to learning, while the rehabilitation of Malakal’s Vocational Training Center (VTC) supports training in construction, carpentry, and agriculture. Building on these efforts, the Steering Committee reaffirmed the leadership of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in land allocation, tenure documentation, and housing programs. UN agencies and partners committed to continued technical support and material assistance to reinforce government-led initiatives.Education and basic servicesAccess to education and essential services was identified as critical to breaking cycles of dependency and supporting sustainable returns and integration. In Juba, over 200 refugee and returnee students from Sudan completed English-language courses in February 2025, alongside 65 teachers—mostly refugees—who graduated from University of Juba training programs, reinforcing the national education workforce. Looking ahead, the joint statement called for the rehabilitation and construction of climate-resilient schools, health facilities, water and sanitation systems, and roads in return and relocation areas. UN agencies reaffirmed their commitment to supporting government priorities through technical assistance, material support, and community engagement.From aid to economic opportunityEconomic empowerment is central to South Sudan’s durable solutions Agenda, enabling displaced people to rebuild their lives with dignity and stability. Minister Atak reiterated the importance of this shift:“Humanitarian assistance remains vital, but it is not sufficient,” he said. “The reality demands a strategic shift, from short-term relief to long-term recovery, from dependency to self-reliance and resilience.”Reflecting this approach, the Steering Committee called for closer alignment between durable solutions efforts and national policies on agriculture, employment, and private-sector development, to ensure economic recovery is sustainable and government-led.Peace as a prerequisiteParticipants stressed that durable solutions cannot succeed without sustained peace and security. The Steering Committee communiqué reaffirmed the Government's commitment to strengthening the rule of law through police deployment, protection mechanisms, peace desks, and reconciliation initiatives. UN agencies and partners pledged continued support for peace infrastructure, demining, social cohesion, and access to legal aid.Addressing the meeting, Anita Kiki Gbeho emphasized the central role of peace in enabling solutions.“All our efforts to implement the national strategy will not succeed without peace,” she stressed. “I urgently call for de-escalation of violence, renewed dialogue, and recommitment to peace.”Coordination and accountabilityTo ensure effective implementation, the communiqué established a clear governance framework. The National Technical Committee on Durable Solutions will meet regularly to set priorities and targets, supported by a Secretariat/National Coordination and Operations Centre.  The United Nations committed to supporting state-level coordination, data management, evidence generation, and joint monitoring. Together, the Government and its partners set a shared goal: to support at least 60,000 displaced people in achieving sustainable solutions by 31 December 2026. Looking aheadAcross shelters in Wau, classrooms in Juba, agricultural cooperatives, and emerging local enterprises, South Sudan’s durable solutions agenda is gradually turning displacement into opportunity.The January 2026 Steering Committee meeting reinforced political commitment, clarified priorities, and strengthened accountability arrangements. Together, these steps provide a clearer pathway toward recovery and resilience over the coming years. As the Government moves forward under this unified framework, the foundation for long-term recovery is being built, one home, one livelihood, and one community at a time. 

A widow and mother of seven, Nyaniet stood in shock as she realized the water had already risen to her chest. The family had no choice but to wade through the water and leave the village that had once been their refuge after escaping conflict. This was four years ago, when flooding in South Sudan was as its most devastating since the 1960s, rendering villages uninhabitable and farmland submerged, notably across Unity State where Rubkona County is located. Since then, flooding, driven by heavy rain and rising Nile River levels, has continued to batter the country each year. In 2025, over 1 million people were impacted by the disaster – 87 per cent of them in Jonglei and Unity states alone.  Today, Nyaniet and her grown children, the youngest at 17 years old, live in one of five displacement sites in Bentiu, set up for flood victims and managed by the NGO Coalition for Humanity with support from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). At least 32,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) reside in these five sites (IDP Sites A to E), but numbers are constantly changing due to the literal fluidity of the situation. “More families are still coming here due to flooding in other towns. People are now drinking swamp water because the water points are overcrowded,” explained Nyaniet, describing the living conditions in IDP Site A.        Preventing towns and camps from drowningTo protect households in these sites and surrounding areas, dykes were constructed in 2021 in collaboration with the Government of South Sudan and development partners, and have since been regularly reinforced to manage rising water levels and reduce flooding risks.  The work is shared among UN agencies. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) oversees the largest stretch of the dyke, covering the perimeter around Bentiu and Rubkona towns, the camps, markets and remaining inhabited areas. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) maintains the dyke and road around the airstrip, military barracks and other key zones, while the World Food Programme (WFP) protects essential supply routes, including roads linking Bentiu with Juba and Sudan.  
When possible, communities take flood resistance into their own hands. In IDP Site D, a five-minute drive from Nyaniet’s home, a dyke committee was established three years ago, now comprised of 37 volunteer members - mostly women.In case there is breakage in the dyke, members, geared in mud-caked rainboots, use shovels and other available tools to reinforce the structure with sandbags. If the damage is beyond their repair, they raise the issue with their NGO partner focal points.“All members experienced their homes being flooded. They came here in water carrying their belongings on plastic sheets and risking snakebites,” said Martha, a member of the dyke committee and mother of five.  “Once there was breakage in the dyke at 2 am, and we called each other right away to take action. There was no time to waste because the risk of water seeping through is high.”        Solutions where climate and conflict collideWhile severe flooding has led to new displacements, it also deepened the suffering of people already trapped in protracted displacement. Unity State hosts the largest number of IDPs across South Sudan, as well as the country’s largest displacement camp - Bentiu IDP Camp - where 109,000 people reside. Most were displaced by conflict over a decade ago. This year’s aid reductions have taken a heavy toll on camp residents, with cut-backs in food rations as well as health and sanitation services, resulting in mounts of trash and dirty, unusable latrines. According to an intention survey, 54 per cent of those surveyed in March 2025 expressed an intention to stay in the camp, stating security, access to food and shelter, as well as flooding in their areas of origin, as key factors influencing their decision to stay. At the same time, an increased number of people have voiced a desire to return (38 per cent of those surveyed) or relocate (nearly four per cent of those surveyed) provided there is assurance of security, essential services and livelihood opportunities.    To support safe and voluntary returns and relocations, the Government, supported by the UN and NGOs and coordinated by the Area-Based Coordinator, are finalizing a three-year Durable Solutions Roadmap for Unity State in line with the national strategy. These efforts are deliberated and implemented inclusive of community voices. For example, a representative of the Women Forum, a group comprised of 100 women from the Bentiu IDP camp, regularly participates in meetings of the State Solutions Task Force for Unity State. At the national level, the Government of South Sudan is leading the efforts, with the UN and partners providing targeted technical support to advance the vision for durable solutions. By the summer of 2026, the objective is to support the sustainable return, local integration or relocation of 60,000 displaced people across South Sudan.In Unity, the priorities for 2025-2026 include the expansion of livelihoods interventions, such as start-up grants, savings groups and climate-adaptive farming pilots, as well as rendering previously submerged areas accessible to farming and animal husbandry activities, and providing security in areas of return and relocation.   From flooded land to fertile fieldsIn Unity State, where much of the land is still underwater, land reclamation has been a key priority. One example is a farm in Bentiu where Nyaniet heads to work every day at 6 a.m.For five years, this land in Bentiu South was completely submerged. But by January 2025, through IOM’s ECRP II project, funded by the World Bank, the land was finally reclaimed with efforts led by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and the Unity State Government.Since access to grazeable land was restored, farmers - including IDPs, returnees and host community members - have begun growing crops with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP, through their joint implementation partner, Welthungerhilfe (WHH). They also participate in climate-smart agriculture training which takes into account South Sudan’s seasonality particulars to optimize what, when and where to plant, and develop a cropping calendar to coordinate harvesting across Bentiu.The organizations supplied a wide range of crops with the aim of diversifying the nutritious diets of communities. In the case of Nyaniet, she is growing eggplants, tomatoes, onions, cassavas, bananas and maize. “I am using the money earned to buy cooking oil and fish, and pay my son’s school fees. Last year, my family survived only on WFP food aid,” she shared.       
Crops like bananas, sugar canes and yams, which require moist soil, are relatively new to Unity. They were introduced to this farm pilot as a way to adapt to the new soil conditions altered by excessive rain and flooding over the past four years. In less than one year, the 100 supported-farmers made 17 million South Sudanese Pounds selling crops from the first harvest to the town’s market. This does not include the produce they retained for their families’ consumption. Farmers also preserve the best quality seeds for the next season so they can gradually break reliance on organizations for seeds.  “Without this farm, I would be eating water lilies,” said Nyaniet, acknowledging this year’s aid reductions including food, plastic sheets and sanitation services in the IDP site.      Following the farm pilots, the UN and its partners are stepping up durable solutions efforts as resources allow, including ongoing and planned disaster risk management interventions, land reclamation, and livelihood and agricultural activities.But rising water levels across Unity State, and shrinking funding, continue to pose major challenges. In November, partners recorded a 40 cm increase of water levels compared to the same time last year. Nyaniet reflected on the future: “As an older person, I cannot keep up with the news and can only rely on my eyesight to tell if water levels have risen. It is difficult to plan for next year but we hope for the best. Until I can go back or settle elsewhere, I want to continue farming.”   Footnotes: Text and photos, taken in November 2025, by Madevi Sun-Suon from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO). Thank you to the on-the-ground support of Melaku Gebremichael Abebe (ABC/IOM), Nyaruot Pech Mayian Riek (ABC/IOM), Johnboth Toang (FAO), Nyatap Paul Kuel (UNHCR) and Simon Mogga (WFP).

Twenty-year-old Luka recalls how a recent training reshaped his understanding of HIV, teaching him that people living with the virus deserve love, respect, and support and not stigma or discrimination.In the town of Malakal, where access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information was once limited, thousands of young people are learning about reproductive health, HIV prevention, stigma reduction and gender-based violence prevention.Before engaging in the training, Luka had a basic understanding of HIV, how it spreads, how it is prevented, and how people living with the virus could live healthy lives. His perception was shaped by myths, stigma, and silence.Armed with knowledge, Luka joined other trained youth in speaking out against HIV-related stigma. Today, he is part of a growing movement that encourages young people to go for testing, know their status, and treat those living with HIV with dignity and care.The training was supported by 2gether4SRHR, a joint UN regional programme in partnership with the Government of Sweden that aims to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Luka’s work is crucial in a country where nearly 200,000 people are living with HIV, with youth ages 10 to 34 accounting for more than half of new HIV infections. “Before, people used to mock or isolate anyone known to be HIV-positive,” he says. “Now, many of us have changed how we think. We’re supporting our peers and spreading the right information.”Confronting harmful misconceptions For Anyang (22), dispelling myths around contraception has become a core part of her advocacy work, particularly as many community members wrongly believe that contraceptives harm young girls or could prevent them from having children later in life.“Many people still think contraceptives make schoolgirls barren,” she says. “We try to explain that they actually protect girls from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. But convincing some people is not easy.”Early and forced marriages are another major concern. Though community attitudes are gradually shifting, Anyang says the practice remains common in some areas.“When I hear about a girl being forced into marriage, I talk to her parents,” she explains. “If that fails, I will involve my friends and elders. Sometimes we succeed in stopping it. Sometimes we don’t. But we never stop trying.”Expanding youth-friendly health services Despite the progress in knowledge and awareness, challenges remain. Luka highlights the difficulty many youth face in accessing youth-friendly health services.“Even when we want to get tested or seek treatment, the health facilities are far away…”, he says. “There’s also fear that if someone’s HIV status becomes known, they will be isolated by the community.”By tackling stigma, spreading accurate health information, and challenging harmful cultural norms, youth are taking bold steps toward a more equitable and healthy future.“It breaks my heart to see a young girl drop out of school because she was forced to marry or get pregnant,” says Anyang. “That’s why I speak out. I want to protect my fellow girls' future.”