Enhancing the protective environment for the most vulnerable persons and communities in Koch County and increa

Objectives

The proposed project in Unity State is designed to provide protection services through strengthening the protection capacity and resilience of the most vulnerable individuals in targeted communities of Koch and Rubkona Counties (including Bentiu PoC) of South Sudan. The project will have a 50% protection mitigation and response component and a 50% HLP rights component. The protection concerns of the communities across South Sudan and specifically in areas where there is little to no permanent protection actors remain high. Due to the ongoing intercommunal fighting and armed clashes between the opposition parties in Unity State coupled with issues of accessibility to remote areas, the communities in Koch County and specifically persons with specific needs are facing protection concerns. Through the proposed intervention, DRC intends to provide protection mitigation and response activities in Koch County in areas including Mir-mir/Bieh, Buaw, Chotchar and Ngony communities. The DRC protection team will conduct protection monitoring through regular protection missions and permanent protection desks located in Koch town. This activity will be complemented through the establishment of community-based protection networks (CBPNs) that will assist in the identification of vulnerable beneficiaries and the provision of support provided to individuals with protection concerns in their communities. DRC’s protection intervention will also include the following activities: identification of persons with specific needs (PSNs), provision of individual protection assistance (IPA), distribution of core relief items (CRIs), referrals to other humanitarian actors and service providers, and advocacy with relevant response actors and stakeholders. Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights is becoming one of the most critical issues for IDPs in Rubkona County but also throughout South Sudan. With the revitalized peace agreement signed in late 2018 between the government and the opposition groups, DRC has observed a cautious change in intentions of IDPs living in collective settlements and refugees residing outside of South Sudan to start returning to their areas of origin. As a result, DRC believes that understanding and addressing HLP issues that are surfacing will ensure a more equitable and sustainable humanitarian response which will ultimately protect, support and strengthen the security and resilience of those affected by conflict and displacement. The lack of a comprehensive and conflict-sensitive understanding of HLP issues in Rubkona County ultimately impacts the larger humanitarian assistance including sectors such as education, health, and livelihoods. As a response, DRC aims to conduct a conflict and gender-sensitive HLP assessment, provide HLP awareness raising to IDP populations in Bentiu PoC, Bentiu and Rubkona towns, provide vulnerable returnees with access to land tenure documents, conduct HLP monitoring, and provide HLP trainings to local authorities and relevant government bodies in the state to enhance the legal knowledge of these government bodies.