Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
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In 2025, the children and families of South Sudan are projected to experience increased humanitarian needs, especially as funding gaps to support the UNICEF response in the country have widened. Approximately 9 million people, including 4.9 million children, 2.2 million women, and 1.4 million people with disabilities, 3 will need humanitarian assistance.
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Extensive flooding and climate change, conflicts, disease outbreaks, the influx of refugees and returnees fleeing the Sudan, internal displacements and economic deterioration are intertwining to contribute to the heightened needs.
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UNICEF's humanitarian strategy focuses on addressing critical needs while complementing development initiatives to strengthen resilience. UNICEF prioritizes a context-specific response informed by risk assessments; climate adaptation; and conflict-sensitive approaches. UNICEF works with local structures and puts an emphasis on community feedback and accountability to affected populations.
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UNICEF urgently seeks $278.2 million in 2025 to uphold children's rights in South Sudan amid the escalating humanitarian crisis.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
South Sudan will face a difficult year in 2025, with heightened vulnerabilities of its people, increasing humanitarian needs and substantial cuts to aid budgets. The political environment remains fragile amid a two-year postponement of the general elections that were set for December 2024.In 2025, an estimated 9 million people, including 4.9 million children, will need humanitarian assistance and protection, with 15 per cent estimated to have a disability.
Widespread flooding, economic deterioration, disease outbreaks and intercommunal conflict are intensifying the already complex and chronic needs of the country's most vulnerable, particularly children – severely affecting people's livelihoods and hindering their access to education, nutrition, water, sanitation and health services. Children are at high risk for abuse, violence, exploitation and psychosocial distress. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ongoing conflicts, poverty, displacement and gender-based violence, including forced marriage. Limited access to education and livelihood opportunities makes children and youth susceptible to recruitment by armed forces and gangs.
From April 2023 to 10 October 2024, more than 826,000 people, including 415,000 children, crossed into South Sudan, fleeing war in the Sudan. South Sudan now hosts more than 484,000 refugees, and an estimated 2 million people are internally displaced largely due to floods, intercommunal conflicts and food insecurity. These crises are stretching scarce resources and services and more than 2.5 million people are at risk of wasting, among a total of 7.1 million people requiring food assistance. In 2024, the health care system continued to grapple with disease outbreaks including anthrax, measles, polio and yellow fever. More than 50 per cent of overall health consultations were for malaria.
Due to the intensifying impact of climate change, it is projected that more than 1 million people will be affected by flooding in 2024.As of 4 October 2024, more than 890,000 people had been affected by flooding, which displaced 226,000 people. Food costs have risen 155 per cent compared with same period in 2023;and since the beginning of 2024, the official exchange rate has depreciated by 160 per cent. Food insecurity remains a big challenge, with 'emergency' levels (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, phase 4) widespread in 38 of 79 counties, affecting more than 2 million people, and 79,000 people facing 'catastrophic' (IPC phase 5) levels. More than 480,000 children aged 6–59 months are projected to be severely wasted in 2024, 37 per cent more than in 2023.