Families wait in line as the World Food Program prepares to deliver food aid at the Bidi Bidi refugee camp on Feb. 22 in Arua, Uganda. The continued flow of refugees from South Sudan has pushed the camp's population to more than 270,000.
JUBA, South Sudan, Aug. 4 — The Government of South Sudan, through the Ministry of Finance and Planning in coordination with the Local Government Board, is seeking expressions of interest for support to establish a National Refugee Support Office in Juba.
The initiative is part of the five-year, $150 million World Bank-funded Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project, Phase II (ECRP II). The project aims to improve access to essential services, strengthen flood resilience, and enhance institutional capacity at sub-national levels.
ECRP II builds upon the first phase of the Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project and previous efforts under the Local Governance and Service Delivery Project (LOGOSEED). These initiatives focused on community-led identification of service delivery priorities and local capacity building through training and resource allocation.
Unlike earlier phases, ECRP II is a government-executed project implemented in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and other nongovernmental organizations. Key enhancements include a focus on institutional strengthening, disaster risk reduction, refugee inclusion, and labor-intensive public works.
A dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) within the Ministry of Finance and Planning, housed at the Local Government Board, oversees the project. The PMU manages the work of implementing partners, coordinates with stakeholders, and oversees procurement, environmental and social safeguards, infrastructure quality, and monitoring and evaluation. It also shares functions with the Public Financial Management and Institutional Strengthening (PFMIS) project.
The PMU facilitates coordination between the Local Government Board and County Coordination Teams established under the ECRP framework. This coordination supports local resource management and service delivery, guided by national-level bodies including the National Steering Committee and National Technical Working Group. These bodies are chaired by the Ministry of Finance and Planning and include representatives from ministries such as Gender, Child and Social Welfare; Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management; Water Resources and Irrigation; and Federal Affairs, among others.
As part of its commitment to inclusive service delivery, the Ministry of Finance and Planning intends to allocate project funds to recruit a National Refugee Support Officer. This officer will enhance coordination and support for refugee and host community services across South Sudan.
