Our mission is to support communities affected by conflict in their quest for protection and strengthen the resolve and capacity of armed actors to prevent and respond to civilian harm. [...] Today, CIVIC has a presence in conflicts and capitals throughout the world, where it collaborates with civilians to bring their protection concerns directly to those in power, engages with armed actors to reduce the harm they cause to civilian populations, and advises governments, the United Nations and multinational bodies on how to make life-saving and lasting policy changes. [...] CIVIC’s strength is its proven approach and record of improving protection outcomes for civilians by working directly with conflict-affected communities and armed actors and by drawing on research for evidence-based policy engagement and advocacy with decision makers, practitioners, and influential actors. [...] CIVIC extends its appreciation to officials and staff of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for sharing their valuable time, as well as representatives of UN agencies, funds, and programmes, humanitarians, and subject matter experts—including from UN headquarters—who provided valuable insights informing the research and feedback on the report draft. [...] The lived experience and perspectives of South Sudanese civilians must be at the center of an understanding of the country’s compounding protection, conflict, and climate risks, and we are sincerely appreciative of the dozens of women and men who were willing to share their views with CIVIC.
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Table of Contents
- ABOUT CENTER FOR CIVILIANS IN CONFLICT 3
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3
- ACRONYMS 4
- TABLE OF CONTENTS 6
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
- Key Observations 8
- METHODOLOGY 10
- CONTEXT 11
- Climate Peace and Security at the UN 11
- KEY DEFINITIONS 13
- Climate Change and the Protection of Civilians in South Sudan 13
- UN Peacekeeping in South Sudan 15
- UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE AND PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN THE UNMISS MANDATE 17
- Key Observations 17
- An evolving mandate for South Sudan 17
- Focusing on implementation 18
- But the recent mandate changes have already generated a series of activities that have increased UNMISSs understanding of the interplay between climate security risks and other mandated priorities. 19
- MATCHING MANDATES WITH CORE CAPACITIES 20
- Key Observations 20
- Introducing the climate and security advisory role 20
- Integrating climate risk analysis across the mandate and the nexus 21
- Maintaining this momentum through day-to-day operational demands across Mission strategies and into longer-term planning will be important to realizing tangible operational outcomes. 22
- DATA ANALYSIS AND EARLY WARNING 24
- Key Observations 24
- Localized data-driven approaches to climate conflict and protection 24
- Strengthening early warning and rapid response capabilities 25
- CASE STUDY Gender Climate Peace and Security 28
- ADAPTING PROTECTION ACTIVITIES TO CLIMATE IMPACTS IN SOUTH SUDAN 29
- Key Observations 29
- Access limitations for civilian-led protection 29
- Several Mission components reported to CIVIC that climate-related access obstacles were inhibiting their mandated protection work including severe flooding and extreme weather events. 29
- Natural hazards affecting military and police mobility 30
- Natural hazards profoundly affect uniformed UN peacekeepers ability to prevent and respond to protection threats. 30
- Infrastructure Logistics and Personnel 31
- Such resourceful problem-solving is an ever- increasing operational reality as the gap between Mission capabilities and protection needs is almost certain to widen. 31
- CASE STUDY UN UNITY FIELD OFFICE BENTIU UNITY STATE 33
- CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND POC 34
- Key Observations 34
- Triple nexus climate adaptation programming and POC 34
- In South Sudan the immediate needs served by climate-responsive or climate-adaptive humanitarian and development programming often correspond with patterns of vulnerability to violence. 35
- National and local government adaptation 37
- Local civil society 38
- CONCLUSION 39
- ENDNOTES 40
