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One year on, South Sudan falters under failing economy

swheeler — 2012-07-09T18:05:41Z

One year after South Sudan’s independence on July 9, the young country is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since the end of the war in 2005, under the weight of severe economic meltdown and ongoing conflict. Long-term and emergency efforts to help nearly half the population, who don’t have enough to eat, could be derailed by an economy out of control, warned the international aid agency Oxfam.

Vital spending on infrastructure and services such as new roads, schools, healthcare and water systems is being slashed, as the country faces economic catastrophe. The price of food and fuel has reached unprecedented levels. Inflation shot from 21.3 percent in February to 80 percent in May, pushing essential food and supplies way beyond the reach of ordinary people. Half of South Sudan’s 9.7 million people are facing food shortages – more than double the number last year.

In South Sudan’s Upper Nile region, where Oxfam is delivering water and sanitation to refugees who continue to flee fighting in Sudan, inflation and conflict have forced fuel prices up by 111 percent. A 200-litre barrel of fuel now costs up to $1600, compared to $600 in January this year. One barrel used to pump water into Oxfam’s water tanks for the 32,000 people in Jamam refugee camp lasts just two days.

“The jubilation of independence is now tempered by the reality of a daily struggle to survive,” said Noah Gottschalk, Senior Policy Advisor for Humanitarian Response for Oxfam America. “Some people are living on one meal a day and double the number of people are in need of food aid compared to last year. Refugees are enduring dire conditions in border camps with not enough water to go around. The Government of South Sudan must work with the international community to urgently put the fragile economy back on track to prevent the world's newest country from plunging deeper into a protracted crisis.”

An increase in hostilities since last year between Sudan and South Sudan has severed trade, cutting off the vital flow of people, fuel and goods, affecting the ability of people to earn a living. In border states, markets are almost bare and prices for staple foods, such as a tin of millet, which feeds a family of five for two days, have quadrupled. The value of the South Sudanese pound has plummeted against the dollar, leaving small traders unable to stock market shelves with imported goods, which the country relies heavily upon.

South Sudan is increasingly reliant on food aid. Yet with peace, a stable economy, and investment in its future, South Sudan would be more than capable of feeding itself, Oxfam said.

South Sudan is rich in fertile soil and water, but less than five per cent is cultivated. The years following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement allowed agriculture to flourish, and in 2008 what was then southern Sudan produced a bumper cereal crop due to good rains and government support, making it self-sufficient in its staple crop for the first time.

“South Sudan has the potential to feed itself, and could be a bread basket for the region. Instead, renewed conflict and severe economic downturn means more people face food shortages now than since the 2005 peace deal, which ended Africa’s longest civil war. We must not allow the large investments in agriculture, water, education and other services be undone by the economic crisis and increase in conflict. The longer this crisis drags on, the greater the risk South Sudan’s development will slip backwards, and its vast potential will be unrealized,” said Gottschalk.

Oxfam called on the Governments of both countries, with the support of the international community, to refocus on the AU-led negotiations, and for donors to ensure that both immediate humanitarian and long-term development needs are addressed.
ENDS/

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Refugees and returnees in South Sudan
Conflicts in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan states mean South Sudan now hosts 170,000 refugees, most arriving in remote and impoverished regions of the country that already struggle to provide for the local populations. Refugees continue to arrive in camps where aid agencies are already overstretched delivering urgent food, water and shelter. In addition, nearly 400,000 southerners have returned from Sudan to South Sudan since late 2010, putting further strain on scarce resources in one of the world’s least developed nations. Many of the returnees have lived most of their lives in the north and have faced multiple cultural, economic and security challenges on their return.

Evacuating refugees
Rains in Jamam refugee camp have made what was an extremely challenging humanitarian response, now impossible in some parts of the camp. The relocation of refugees from Jamam is now not only critical due to the lack of water to drink, but many refugees are still in a flood plain and tents have been flooded. We cannot guarantee people a dry place to shelter, nor avoid massive health risks from water-borne diseases in the coming three months. Oxfam has been lobbying since February for the relocation of refugees from Jamam camp to a new location before rains made transport too difficult, where people will have access to a safer amount of clean water to meet their needs.

What Oxfam is doing in South Sudan
Oxfam has worked in southern Sudan for the past 30 years providing both humanitarian and long-term development aid, including water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, public health, sustainable livelihoods, food security and education programs throughout the country. We also work through local partners and civil society organizations including women's groups.

Speak up now: Be a voice for peace in Sudan and South Sudan

mcullinan — 2012-07-06T19:58:33Z

After a year of independence in South Sudan, the world’s newest country is in the midst of deepening humanitarian disaster. We’re standing with the people of Sudan and South Sudan for stability, development and a lasting peace. Join us.

Voices on poverty: Right the wrong

jabdulla — 2013-03-29T19:34:55Z

Poverty at Home

jabdulla — 2013-04-09T20:11:36Z

Ray Offenheiser

Paul Ryan’s Budget Undermines the Best of America

jabdulla — 2013-04-23T17:26:45Z

Sister Simone Campbell

Essays

jabdulla — 2013-04-23T17:25:54Z

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not reflect the positions of Oxfam America.

Voices on US poverty: Right the wrong

jabdulla — 2013-05-07T18:28:38Z

At Oxfam “we believe poverty is about power, not scarcity,” says Raymond C. Offenheiser, Oxfam America’s president. “America has long presented itself to the world as the model of successful, inclusive growth. ...While that was true during the decades after World War II, it is simply no longer the case. It’s time to tackle this injustice head on.”

America’s poverty rate is now at its highest level in two generations:

Fifty million Americans live on incomes below the federal poverty level (i.e., $11,722 for an individual and $23,497 for a family of four)
Children bear a huge burden, with more than 16 million of them in poverty.

“Poverty and inequality, and the social exclusion they breed, are wrongs to be righted, whether they occur in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, or the United States,” continued Offenheiser. “We need a lively national conversation about how we can right this wrong here at home.”

Voices on US Poverty: Right the Wrong is an initiative to spur discussion about domestic poverty issues. It begins with a series of essays by advocates, economists, journalists, military and faith leaders—all of whom are eager to bring issues of economic and social justice into the national debate.

See all the essays > Read the blog >

Featured Essays

As Washington careens through one headline-grabbing, self-imposed fiscal crisis after another, one in three Americans faces a daily crisis of poverty or low-wage jobs that is barely a topic of conversation in Congress or the media. The richest 1 percent of the US population has more aggregate wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined. Read more.

Poverty at Home
Ray Offenheiser

Last year, some of my Sisters and I became known as the “Nuns on the Bus.” Together, we journeyed through many parts of America to raise awareness of the plight of working poor families and the threat that Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget posed to them and to our country as a whole. Read more.

Paul Ryan’s Budget Undermines the Best of America
Sister Simone Campbell

See all the essays >

Voices on US poverty: Right the wrong

jabdulla — 2013-03-29T20:01:04Z

Oxfam food company campaign delivers win for women cocoa farmers

bgrossmancohen — 2013-03-26T12:09:39Z

After more than 60,000 people signed petitions and took action to urge chocolate companies to do the right thing for women cocoa farmers, Mars and Nestle have today made commitments to begin to tackle the inequality, hunger and poverty faced by women in their cocoa supply chains. Mondelez International, which controls 15% of the global chocolate market, has yet to follow suit in spite of consumer pressure.

“Women cocoa farmers and consumers around the globe have made their voices heard,” said Alison Woodhead, campaign manager for Oxfam’s Behind the Brands Campaign. “Mars and Nestle have taken important steps to show the farmers they rely on, their customers and the rest of the food industry that they care about the conditions women face in their supply chains including low pay, discrimination and unequal opportunity.

“For too long women have come last in food and beverage company supply chains. Gender discrimination is a major cause of global hunger, poverty and inequality. Consumers are speaking up to say they care about how companies impact the most vulnerable and today Mars and Nestle have shown they are listening.”

Oxfam welcomes Mars and Nestle’s commitment to:

Conduct impact assessments on women in their cocoa supply chains in order to understand and show how women are faring. Both companies will begin by conducting impact assessment in Cote d’Ivoire, the highest cocoa producing country within the next year but have committed to conducting assessments in the rest of their supply chain in the years following. Impact assessments will be conducted by third party organizations.
Put in place a specific action plan within a year’s time that will address issues raised by the assessments and lead to the improvement of poor conditions. Oxfam expects that these action plans will deliver better capacity towards a sustainable livelihood to women farmers and workers, along with stronger corporate policies and practices that encourage women’s empowerment throughout their cocoa supply chain.
Work to sign onto the UN Women's Empowerment Principles. The principles demonstrate the companies’ commitment at the CEO level to the empowerment of women across their entire operations by among other things being willing to measure and publicly report on gender equity.
Engage with other powerful actors in the cocoa industry to develop sector-wide programs to address gender inequality. Both Mars and Nestle will work with industry sector organizations like the World Cocoa Foundation.

Specifics on the two companies’ commitments can be seen here:

Mars: http://cocoasustainability.com/2013/03/mars-chocolate-and-oxfam-america-agree-to-intentional-approach-to-empower-women

Nestlé: http://www.nestle.com/csv/ruraldevelopment/women

“We applaud Mars and Nestle’s leadership in making these commitments,” said Woodhead. “But only actions can create real and lasting change. We will continue to hold both companies to account and expect them to keep their promises.

“We now call on Mondelez to address their impacts on hunger and poverty. Women in Mondelez’s supply chain continue to be paid less than men, face discrimination and unfair conditions. Executives at the company should ask themselves if they are truly doing enough. Are they willing to continue with business as usual as these conditions persist? Consumers and investors will apply greater pressure if Mondelez continues to stand back and let their competitors lead the way.”

/ENDS

Notes to editors:
1. Oxfam’s petition targeting Mars, Mondelez and Nestle is available at: www.behindthebrands.org/actnow
2. Oxfam’s investigation into inequality for women in cocoa supply chains is available at: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/mars-mondelez-and-nestle-and-the-fight-for-women2019s-rights
3. Oxfam’s Behind the Brands ranking of food and beverage companies is available at www.behindthebrands.org

Alexis Nkurunziza vertical 5

JLentfer — 2013-03-27T16:16:06Z

Alexis Nkurunziza, Transparency Expert

JLentfer — 2013-04-30T15:18:36Z

Until a few years ago, the national budget process in Rwanda was shrouded in secrecy. The budget was never made public. There were no hearings. And people didn't know exactly how the nation's resources were being spent.

The details of the budget might still be hidden if it were not for the courage and conviction of one man—Alexis Nkurunziza.

Working with CLADHO, an umbrella of human rights organizations in Rwanda, Nkurunziza conducted the research to complete Rwanda's Open Budget Survey 2012. Progress had been made between 2008 and 2010, but the score in 2012 indicated that the Government of Rwanda was shielding the budget and financial activities from public view.

International media covered his report, which in turn caught the attention of top government officials. Nkurunziza, his colleagues at CLADHO, and the Ministry of Finance met several times about it. Despite some very difficult moments, Nkurunziza held fast to his principles about what is required for citizens to hold the government accountable for its management of the public's money.

"It was a small price to pay for promoting the cause of good governance and transparency," he says.

His sacrifice eventually triggered the Government of Rwanda to reverse course and to release the budget. Nkurunziza turned a difficult interaction into an opportunity to liaise more closely with the government.

"The government recognized that they have challenges to overcome, and they have accepted to involve us," Nkurunziza explains.

Using USAID funding provided initially through a Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Program, and then with the support of Norwegian People's Aid, Nkurunziza and CLADHO assisted the Rwanda Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to develop The Budget of Rwanda: a Citizens Guide 2012-2013. (See right. Nkurunziza is also pictured holding it.) The guide helps educate Rwandan citizens about the purpose of the national budget and how they can get involved in developing and monitoring it at both national and local government levels.

CLADHO also hosts forums in rural and urban areas where citizen groups can weigh in on their priorities for public spending, which is vital given the discrepancy between citizens' and governments' concerns. In one district recently, Nkurunziza reports that the citizens gathered were very clear about what support they needed.

"They said, ‘We have requested clean water for five years, but the government has built a marketplace. We already have three marketplaces.'"

By making the budget guide less technical and more user-friendly, it can reach and be understood by as large a segment of the public as possible, enabling the Rwandan government to become more responsive to its citizens.

And that is why to Alexis Nkurunziza, the price is worthwhile.

In recent years, the US government launched policy reforms that make US foreign aid more accountable to you and local leaders like Alexis Nkurunziza.

Aid works best when it supports local actors to take action and change the circumstances which place or keep them or their fellow citizens in poverty—supporting them to build a dream, build a business, support their family, or help their community.

That's why Oxfam America is working to deepen the US government's commitment to making aid more effective. They can do so by putting more US aid dollars directly in the hands of people like Alexis Nkurunziza.

Read more stories at: www.oxfamamerica.org/aidworks

Note: Oxfam America doesn't take federal funds, but we do support effective development programs. In 2012, the Aid Effectiveness Team conducted research to highlight effective uses of the 1% of foreign aid the U.S. government spends on poverty reduction and other life-saving assistance. The people featured in this series are not necessarily receiving direct assistance from Oxfam.

Rwanda OBI score 2

JLentfer — 2013-03-27T16:43:44Z

Rwanda OBI score 3

JLentfer — 2013-03-27T17:13:12Z

burkina-faso_woman-pounding_2013

Pablo Tosco/Oxfam — 2013-03-27T19:14:16Z

burkina-faso_clothing-and-shelter_2013

Pablo Tosco/Oxfam — 2013-03-27T19:22:46Z