Summary of needs
The 2024 November IPC projects that 7.7 million people or 57 per cent of South Sudan's population will face Crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3+) during the 2025 lean season from April to July. Of these, 63,000 are expected to experience Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). The food insecurity is driven by economic crises, violence, flooding, dry spells and the Sudan crisis, which disrupt supply chains and worsen vulnerabilities.
FSL Sectoral People in Needs 2025
FSL Sectoral Severity of Needs 2025
FSL Sectoral People Targeted 2025
Response strategy
In-kind, cash and voucher modalities will be used based on market functionality, prices and seasonality, with a focus on increasing cash transfers where feasible. Partners will use biometric registration to prevent duplication. To enhance impact and reduce future needs, partners will operate in shared locations for complementarity. The cluster will support joint programming, including data-sharing, geographic prioritization and integration with Health, Nutrition, WASH and Protection sectors. To build community resilience and reduce humanitarian dependency, the cluster has developed the HNRP Operational Guidelines and FSL Cluster Strategy to foster collaboration between FSL partners and development actors, the Government and the private sector. The FSL Cluster will work to ensure women and girls’ safe and equal access to economic opportunities and resources by providing training on GBV risk mitigation and supporting women's economic empowerment initiatives.
Malakal PoC site, Upper Nile State, South Sudan
Women carry bags of sorghum after receiving it from the World Vision food distribution exercise in Malakal POC.
OCHA/Sarah WaiswaTargeting and prioritization
The FSL Cluster will focus on food assistance and emergency agriculture for IPC Phase 4+ counties and resilience-building for IPC Phase 3+ counties. The cluster will focus on: (i) emergency food assistance to reach 2 million people in emergency areas; (ii) emergency livelihoods support to assist 584,000 farming households in IPC Phase 4 areas; and (iii) resilience-building for 830,000 people with asset creation and livelihood-strengthening. Assistance will be concentrated in IPC Phase 4+ counties. The duration of humanitarian food assistance will be reduced to eight, six or five months, depending on the location. Ration and transfer values will be reduced from 30 to 21 days in areas with pockets of IPC Phase 5 and 15 days in other areas. Emergency agriculture and livelihood support will also be scaled back accordingly. The FSL Cluster will ensure that, whenever possible, the three objectives complement each other to maintain an efficient and effective prioritization and targeting approach.
Promoting accountable and inclusive programming
FSL partners will engage with communities during needs assessments to gather qualitative and quantitative data, ensuring that community voices shape food security analysis. The cluster will coordinate with the Protection Cluster to integrate protection into targeting and assistance. Community feedback will guide project design, with complaint mechanisms to collect and respond to input. During implementation, local committees of affected populations will oversee activities, ensuring interventions remain responsive to community needs.