UN pooled funds support peacebuilding and humanitarian response in South Sudan

Credit: UN

United Nations pooled funds are supporting humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding and longer-term recovery efforts across South Sudan, with more than $207 million committed through four financing mechanisms between July 2025 and August 2026.

The funds are being used according to their different mandates while complementing one another to address needs on the ground and reduce duplication, according to the South Sudan Nexus Digest, Issue No. 2.

The portfolio includes $146.7 million from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund, $34 million from the Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience Trust Fund, $25.5 million from the U.N. Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund and $1 million from the Women, Peace and Humanitarian Fund.

The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund, managed by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, supports life-saving and life-sustaining activities and provides rapid funding during emergencies.

The Women, Peace and Humanitarian Fund, managed by U.N. Women, focuses on women’s participation in peacebuilding and works with local and women-led organizations.

The Peacebuilding Fund supports initiatives including transitional justice, constitution-making, customary law, community violence reduction and local peace structures. The Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience Trust Fund takes an area-based approach to resilience, stabilization and recovery in conflict-affected areas.

In Upper Nile, the complementary approach is helping communities prepare for returns and reintegration after years of displacement.

More than 3,400 people have returned or reintegrated since the Upper Nile Durable Solutions Roadmap was launched in 2024, while more than 317,000 displaced people have received housing, land and property support.

The roadmap has also strengthened 34 peace and social cohesion structures to help reduce tensions and create conditions for safe and voluntary returns.

Despite improvements in some areas, more than 225,000 people remain internally displaced in Upper Nile, including nearly 40,000 people living in the former U.N. Mission in South Sudan Protection of Civilians site, which was redesignated as a government-managed displacement site in February 2026.

A 2026 intention survey found that 94% of displaced households at the former site wanted to return to their places of origin, relocate or integrate elsewhere. Only 4% said they wanted to remain at the site.

Food, water, sanitation and hygiene, and shelter were identified as the top needs, while 48% of households reported lacking safe places and privacy.

The government and the U.N. have committed to extending the Upper Nile Durable Solutions Roadmap through 2028, with plans to expand it to all counties in the state.

In the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, recurrent intercommunal violence, cattle-related conflict, flooding and limited access to justice continue to affect communities.

A project supported by the Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience Trust Fund deployed four mobile courts to remote communities, where 68 cases were heard.

More than 2,400 justice-sector personnel, including police and prison officers, were trained in rule of law, human rights and case management. The project also facilitated 110 justice and reconciliation dialogues and helped establish community structures involving women and young people.

A separate Peacebuilding Fund-supported initiative focused on customary law and included women, traditional authorities, community leaders and other local stakeholders in the Murle customary law process.

The area remains vulnerable to revenge attacks, cattle raiding and child abductions, while judicial infrastructure and personnel remain limited.

The report highlights the gradual shift in some communities from preparing for raids to engaging in dialogue and reconciliation.

The U.N. says the complementary use of pooled funds remains important as South Sudan responds to immediate humanitarian needs while investing in peace, resilience and durable solutions.

The complementarity strategy is being reviewed in 2026, with a joint retreat planned for the third quarter to assess progress, challenges and opportunities.