State and Community Leaders, Donors, NGOs, UN entities discuss Partnership for Recovery and Resilience (PfRR)’s progress, Challenges and Opportunities in a one-day meeting in Juba

“The teamwork and combined efforts presented by the new way of working through the PfRR, has made it possible for us in Yambio to engage better with returning Internally Displaced People and other groups. As a result, there is peace; feeder roads are being opened to facilitate trade and movement of goods, services and people” said Hon. Daniel Badagbu Rimbasa, Governor of Gbudwe State.

Implementation of projects aligned to the Partnership are taking place in Yambio and Aweil and the meeting provided an opportunity for their leaders to demonstrate commitment and share their experiences. It highlighted the joint actions being undertaken by communities to create an enabling environment for recovery and resilience.

“We need to address the sources of vulnerability in order to be more effective in building resilience and enabling people to cope. This partnership belongs to everyone. This is about local communities and about their commitment to make a better life for themselves” said the DSRSG/HC/RC Alain Noudéhou.

“The new approach presented by the PfRR will lead us to development and self-reliance. The government and people should be at the forefront, in the process of identifying recovery and development initiatives, with support from the partners” said Dr. Margaret Itto, Deputy Governor Torit State.

The meeting also witnessed the launch of a Partnership Framework that articulates the vision of the Partnership.

“This Partnership is not about funding; it is a new way of working that creates focus and alignment towards stopping the trend of vulnerability and building resilience” said Ros Cooper, Deputy Head DFID.

Representatives from Torit and Wau, where the Partnership is nascent, were present to learn from the experiences in Yambio and Aweil as they develop their agendas and joint plans. By way of background, the Partnership reflects a new way of working, emphasizing partnerships and joint programming focused on stopping the trend of increasing vulnerability, working across the peacebuilding-humanitarian-development nexus through improved coordination and collaboration.

The goals of the Partnership are promoted jointly by donors, NGOs, and UN agencies. Through high-level advocacy, the partnership engages with private sector, community leaders and local government to jointly identify priorities, common aspirations and launch area-based programming. The PfRR facilitates bottomup solutions at the individual, household and community levels while also working closely with local authorities.

Since the establishment of the Partnership in March 2018, high-level visits to Yambio, Torit, Aweil and Wau were undertaken. In Yambio, the UN Joint Program for Recovery and Resilience 2018-2021 was launched; Partnership activities are underway in Torit, Wau and Aweil. A learning event took place in November 2018. Going forward, the Partnership will continue its advocacy and outreach in more areas, as it expands its footprint throughout South Sudan.