South Sudan at another crossroads

Humanitarian Policy Group

26 January 2017 15:00 – 16:30 (GMT), Overseas Development Institute London offices and streamed live online

Only a few years ago, there was reason to feel cautiously optimistic about the fate of the world’s newest state, South Sudan. The picture looks very different now.

Despite the signing of a peace agreement in August 2015, the conflict has spread across the entire country, with the speed and scale of devastation shocking most observers. Since December 2013, 1.9 million people have been displaced within South Sudan and another 1.3 million to neighbouring countries, while 4.8 million people are food insecure. The UN Mission has been unable to safeguard civilians, especially women and girls, from violence, and South Sudan has become one of the most dangerous places in the world to be an aid worker.

South Sudan is once again at a crossroads.

This event explores the current humanitarian and development challenges in South Sudan, drawing on the latest issue of the Humanitarian Exchange Magazine. Why did the country fail to avoid this escalation of violence and instability? What options are available to the international community? And what must be done in the short term to protect those affected by the conflict?

Panel:
Mareike Schomerus – Senior Research Fellow, ODI

Lydia Stone – Senior Manager on Security, Justice and Peacebuilding, Social Development Direct
Matt Wells @mattfwells (via videolink) – Senior Crisis Adviser, Amnesty International
Leben Nelson Moro – Director of International and Alumni Affairs, University of Juba, South Sudan

Contributing Chair:

Sara Pantuliano @SaraPantuliano – Managing Director, ODI

To register, please visit the event webpage. You can also follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #SouthSudanFuture