Building Peace Through Sustainable Access to and Management of Natural Resources (PAMANA)

finished

In South Sudan, decades of armed conflict have resulted in great suffering of the civilian population, displacing thousands of people and resulting in increased humanitarian needs. Over 4,5 million people have been uprooted from their homes, including 1,84 million internally displaced persons (IDP), 2,5 million persons seeking refuge in the neighbouring countries of Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan; and over 202'000 seeking protection in UN bases in the country. In Uganda, South Sudanese make up the largest refugee population (882'058 people). In this cross-border region, conflicts about access to and control over natural resources (NR) and problems associated with poor natural resource management (NRM) are amplified by climate change. Livelihoods and food security of host and refugee, IDPs and returnee communities in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State (CES) and Uganda’s West Nile (WN) sub-region strongly depend on the natural resource base, as most households are small-scale producers.

Overexploitation of NR has been exacerbating inequalities and risks for certain population groups and individuals increasing tensions within and amongst communities. Conflicts related to the access to and control over NR are some of the most prominent factors negatively impacting people’s ability to meet their immediate needs and pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities, especially among vulnerable host, refugee and IDP communities.

Following a Human Development Peace (HDP) nexus approach, this project aims to significantly reduce conflict over and pressure on NR in South Sudan’s CES and Uganda’s WN through building local capacities for supporting the most vulnerable groups, meeting their immediate needs and securing sustainable livelihoods in ways that promote peace, stability and gender-equality.

To achieve this impact, the capacities of target groups in CES and WN including governmental structures, religious/traditional institutions, civil society organizations and private sector groups are strengthened in their outreach to the most vulnerable groups amongst the host, refugee and IDP and returnee communities (with a special focus on women) in Lainya and Yei Counties (South Sudan) and Koboko and Yumbe district (Uganda).

Within the humanitarian component, the immediate needs of the most vulnerable groups are better met due to conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive humanitarian assistance. Activities under the development component develop and strengthen local capacities to create opportunities for medium and long-term livelihoods based on sustainable NRM practices that foster self-reliance and resilience and enable peaceful coexistence. Under the peacebuilding component, the understanding of conflict causes is increased, especially regarding NRM. Moreover, the capacities of the target groups and beneficiaries are strengthened to facilitate dialogue and manage tensions to promote sustainable NRM and climate change adaptation in peace-conducive and gender-responsive ways.

Regarding Caritas Switzerland’s IC Strategy 2025, the project focuses on the three thematic fields of migration, income, and climate. Based on the HDP nexus approach, it combines humanitarian assistance, development support and peacebuilding components. Furthermore, the project operationalizes elements of the graduation approach to meet both short- and long-term needs of the target groups. The intervention also incorporates conflict-sensitive and gender-transformative approaches as cross-cutting themes.

The project is realized in close cooperation with three local implementing partners (AFARD, CDC and OFAO) and two technical backstopping partners (BOMA and Swiss peace).