Durable Solutions Hub

South Sudan is in fragile recovery since the 2018 peace agreement came into force. Years of conflict have separated families, destroyed essential services and displaced communities. In 2025, over 2 million people are internally displaced, many of whom have lived in camps and overcrowded settlements for over a decade with no realistic way to return home, resettle elsewhere or rebuild their lives. Moreover, over 2.3 million South Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries. 

At the same time, people have also increasingly returned home amidst pockets of peace. Nearly 3 million returnees, from within the country and abroad, have been recorded in 2025 – more than triple the 866,000 figure in 2018. 

The UN and its partners are working hand-in-hand in support of the Government of South Sudan to find lasting solutions to the country’s protracted displacement. In 2024, the Government launched for the first time a Durable Solutions Strategy and Action Plan to guide the collective efforts of authorities, UN entities, NGOs and civil society in creating conditions that support the return, resettlement and integration of displaced populations into their communities in a safe and dignified manner. This is in line with the UN Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, launched in 2022, which calls for collective actions towards durable solutions, better displacement prevention and effective protection and assistance. 

 

An urgent call for durable solutions

In Unity, Upper Nile, and Western Bahr el Ghazal, a shift is underway. Led by the Government of South Sudan and supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners, communities are beginning their pathway from displacement to long-term solutions.

Together, partners are working to find real, lasting solutions for people displaced from their homes due to conflict, disaster and other challenges. Under the leadership of the Government of South Sudan, humanitarian and development actors are collaborating to shift from emergency aid to long-term recovery and development. 

Across the country, particularly in locations such as Bentiu, Malakal, and Wau, we:

• Support voluntary return and relocation
• Provide housing, shelter repairs, and access to land
• Improve access to documentation and legal protection
• Create livelihood opportunities and strengthen local economies
• Support inclusive urban planning, governance, and flood mitigation
• Support peace dialogues that create the foundation for safe returns and reintegration
• Work with women, youth, and community leaders to rebuild trust across divided groups
• Help communities design and implement a Peacebuilding Roadmap focused on stability, inclusion, and recovery
• Strengthen local leadership and services to enable displaced families to return or relocate with dignity

However, the progress that has been made so far remains fragile. Without urgent investment in durable solutions, people living in displacement camps will face worsening conditions and dwindling support, leaving them with limited options.

What is at stake 

If the transition stalls, families will remain in protracted displacement as aid disappears and hope fades. Children will grow up without the stability, education, or opportunities every child deserves. Families are left with shrinking options: remain in overcrowded camps or risk returning to areas without adequate support.

This is not just a humanitarian concern – it is imperative for development, peacebuilding, and human dignity. The decisions made today will determine whether displacement becomes a permanent crisis or a turning point toward recovery and self-reliance. 

To scale this effort and make it sustainable, we need:

• Renewed Government leadership
• Flexible, multi-year development funding to support transition programming
• Land, housing, and legal frameworks that enable relocation
• Investments in livelihoods and public services in return areas
• Stronger coordination across humanitarian, development, and government actors
   

Note: In 2025, IOM serves as the Convener of the Global Solutions Champions Group, a role that will rotate to UNDP in 2026 and to UNHCR in 2027. The Solutions Champions are a group of Principals dedicated to helping IDPs find pathways to resolve their displacement. This group includes UNDP, IOM, and UNHCR, as well as the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support. This coordination structure was launched by the UN Secretary-General at the Executive Committee meeting on December 20, 2024. At the country level, Resident Coordinators are empowered to lead the engagement with affected Governments on solutions and are supported by the Heads of the Champion Agencies acting as a first line of response.   

UN entities involved

Resources

• Assessments: Reintegration and service gap analysis in South Sudan
• Dashboards: Returns from neighboring countries | Returns from Sudan
• UN Secretary-General's Action Agenda on Internal Displacement
• Report of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement