IOM will continue the implementation of life-saving humanitarian activities and scale up advocacy for more resilience-inclined interventions in all services in camps and camp-like settings to strengthen preparedness and sustainability:

• Continue its leading role and active participation in the coordination space as co-lead of the National CCCM Cluster and CCCM State Focal Points in Western Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, Jonglei States. In line with IOM’s commitment to accountability to affected populations (AAP), IOM will also continue to chair the Communication and Community Engagement (CCE) Working Group, which is critical during the transition from emergency response to recovery and longer-term resilience-building.
• Maintain a static presence in Bentiu and Naivasha IDP sites, in Hai Masna collective centre, Bulukat transit centre, and Malakal PoC. The camp management team will support the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in undertaking the most needed site coordination and service monitoring, community engagement, and site maintenance work. 
• Perform displacement management functions in hard-to-reach areas through mobile CCCM team deployment, such as coordination, service monitoring, community engagement, and site maintenance works. This is an essential approach in dynamic humanitarian environments such as South Sudan where populations are on the move and require flexible, adaptable, and rapid responses to manage their critical needs. Flood-affected population and transiting returnees from Sudan are examples of when IOM carries out mobile CCCM.
• To protect the IDP communities and preserve critical service infrastructure from severe flooding through infrastructure and flood mitigation, continue to focus on the maintenance of dykes, road networks, and drainage systems, specifying whether this applies to static infrastructure, mobile operations, or both. Moreover, IOM’s site development work has made a valuable contribution to preparing settlement sites that facilitate integrated solutions. 
• In line with the South Sudan CCCM Cluster’s strategic objective 4, "to support integrated approaches in developing exit strategies, resilience, and durable solutions for displaced populations in sites", coordinate the development of the site level transition strategy including to facilitate proper community participation and foster synergies among humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actors, laying the ground for integrated solutions.

In 2025, IOM will continue its static, mobile, rapid response team, and comprehensive care and treatment strategy, with a focus on integrated emergency life-saving primary health care, and routine immunization for IDPs, returnees, and host communities. Activities will include:

• Provide general outpatient clinical and trauma care, sexual and reproductive health, clinical management of rape, and child health services through an existing network of static health facilities and outreach/mobile clinics in IDP camps in Wau, Bentiu and Malakal and among IDP returnees and host communities within the respective counties of Wau, Rubkona, Malakal and Abyei Administrative Area. Where possible, ensure these services are delivered in collaboration with women-led and women’s rights organizations, as part of IOM’s commitment to localization strategies.
• Provide integrated tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening, care and treatment through healthcare providers working at static clinics.
• Deploy health rapid response teams in response to disease outbreaks and emergencies and deliver critical life-saving healthcare services to locations where acute needs are most severe.
• Provide routine immunization services within health facilities and through outreach services for communities otherwise not reached with health services.
• Refer acutely ill patients who require in-patient care and treatment, including severely malnourished children, to appropriate higher-level health services.

IOM will continue to scale-up efforts to strengthen the resilience of healthcare systems, community health resilience, referral networks, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) and NNGOs to assume an increasing role in health service delivery, including:

• Strengthen the resilience of healthcare systems and referral networks through outreach and static service delivery, capacity strengthening of NNGOs, and support to pharmaceutical supply chain management.
• Strengthen the capacity of the MOH to deliver routine immunization service through Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) services to underserved and hard-to-reach areas. 
• Strengthen community health resilience through health education and promotion activities and implementation of preventive health services.
• Provide technical assistance to enhance MOH coordination and leadership capacity on border health systems and response to public health threats.
• Develop capacity of county health departments and NNGOs to assume responsibility for direct service provision in IOM locations of engagement.
• Continue to strengthen MOH staff knowledge on selected priority medical interventions, including emergency maternal, child and neonatal care.
• Conduct cross-border disease surveillance and strengthen health infrastructure at targeted POEs.
• Engage the diaspora to provide technical support to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education in training the country’s health workforce at mid-level and higher institutions of learners. 
• Strengthen capacity on the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) for Ministry of Health doctors in Bentiu. This includes a joint assessment with MSF and WHO to identify trainees and facilities, developing a supervisory methodology, and providing regular supervision and incentives to ensure sustainability and continuity of services with MOH. 

In addition, as co-lead for the POE technical working group, co-chair of the emergency responders mechanism, a member of the Health Cluster Strategic Advisory Group, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)/MOH Immunization Committee, and several technical working groups, IOM will continue to scale up efforts to ensure that health systems are strengthened to better prevent, detect and respond to complex communicable disease outbreaks and public health threats, including through early warning alert response systems for surveillance and response to disease outbreaks as well as through internal multi-sectoral coordination with IOM teams such as WASH on communicable disease outbreaks. Activities will include:

• Conduct regular epidemiological surveillance through IOM clinics, and support Ministry of Health facilities to prevent, detect, report and respond to any epidemic-prone infectious diseases.
• Train staff in Early Warning, Alert and Response Systems (EWARS) and strengthen the Boma health committee in high-priority hotspot areas to improve response capabilities.
• Conduct facility and community-level health promotion, risk communication and social mobilization activities with a focus on epidemic-prone diseases.
• Support MOH in disease outbreak pone locations including but not limited to: Cholera, measles, hemorrhagic fevers, and Mpox in risk communication, and active surveillance at IOM facilities and selected POEs. 
• Facilitate inter-state dialogue and cross-border meetings to enhance global health security and coordination in compliance with IHR and its core capacity with reference to point of entry and border spaces.
• Enhance community event-based surveillance and community engagement in areas highly affected by migration including cross-border zones.

IOM will continue to support the Government of South Sudan in strengthening humanitarian border management, focusing on a rights-based approach to migration management, preventing transnational organized crime, and improving migrant protection through capacity strengthening at the institutional, individual, and community levels. This will include promoting intra- and inter-agency cooperation and enhancing infrastructure to manage emergency-related assistance for populations on the move. IOM will:

• Support the establishment of standard procedures to assist in the delivery of aid, including goods and equipment, and entry for humanitarian workers at the border.
• Ensure that border infrastructures are inclusive of migrant support points whereby migrants can seek information and support.
• Include migration health assessments and provide travel health assistance during HBM activities. 
• Enhance capacity at the sub-national level across borders and along migratory routes for preparedness and response to epidemics and other public health emergencies in accordance with the IHR (2005).

In line with the IOM Manual on Community-Based MHPSS in Emergencies and Displacement (IOM Manual), the Organization will continue to support the delivery of community-led socio-recreational activities, communal healing, and peer support group structures, including:

• Continue to support the delivery of community-led socio-recreational activities, communal healing and peer support group structures, as well as awareness-raising and psychoeducation. 
• Provide focused MHPSS services, including individual counselling for crisis-affected individuals and caretakers of persons with mental and neurological illnesses, as part of integrated healthcare services (static MHPSS response on the premises of health clinics) and through community outreach and home visits as required. IOM will continue to implement Problem Management Plus (PM+), in accordance with the WHO PM+ manuals, as a key component of this MHPSS approach to ensure consistent, evidence-based support for individuals affected by crises.
• Introduce the Self-Help Plus (SH+) concept —a five-session, group-based stress management course -- suitable for populations affected by adversity and which has demonstrated effectiveness in reduction of psychological distress and prevention of mental disorders in adults, regardless of diagnosable mental health conditions. 
• Promote awareness across targeted communities through psychoeducation on relevant topics affecting psychosocial well-being among affected populations, such as anxiety, depression, anger-management, and suicide prevention. 
• Strengthen cross-sector responses between MHPSS, health and GBV to offer more holistic services to persons affected by physical health and/or mental health problems in line with the GBV annex of the IOM Manual, and provide safe and confidential entry points and referral pathways to specialized mental health services.
• Train frontline actors and humanitarian service providers regularly in direct contact with highly distressed persons in psychological first aid (PFA) to enable these actors to provide their respective services in a psychosocially informed manner.

In line with the IOM Manual, the Organization will integrate MHPSS with conflict transformation and mediation activities, as well as within wider transition, recovery and  durable solutions efforts. IOM will: 

• Continue to provide MHPSS activities at the individual, family and community levels that contribute to wider efforts to mend social fabrics and strengthen social cohesion, through Psychosocial Mobile Teams. This will include promoting positive coping strategies at the individual, family and community levels to reduce emotional distress and use of violence among youth at risk. Examples include support groups and self-help groups for women, or youth, or people with disabilities; structured play activities for children; storytelling; music making; sports; and handicraft. 
• Build on existing MHPSS activities in addressing harmful social and gender norms through specific family and community-level activities and through reinforcing community-level healing processes, which is critical for the implementation of other outcome areas under transition and recovery.
• Provide ongoing training and support to the integration of MHPSS in conflict transformation and mediation, livelihoods and economic development programming.
• Contribute to regional knowledge-sharing initiatives that discuss the integration of MHPSS in conflict transformation and mediation, and that discuss MHPSS in durable solutions, livelihoods and economic development programming.

IOM will continue to lead the MHPSS TWG in Malakal, Bentiu, Wau, and Abyei while WHO and MOH are leading and coordinating the MHPSS TWG at the national level. IOM will strengthen efforts at the community level, including capacity strengthening of key actors, and integration of MHPSS considerations within wider efforts across the HDPN. Activities will include:

• Improve community infrastructure for the provision of MHPSS services by expanding recreational and counselling services/activities across primary health care facilities and camp-based facilities, ensuring better access to mental health and psychosocial support for affected communities.
• Strengthen the capacity of government and community leadership representatives (such as community and religious leaders, teachers, youth and women leaders, and caretakers of marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, and neurological and mental health conditions) and enable them to act as MHPSS resource persons and ambassadors of change in the community. Capacity-strengthening efforts will focus on basic psychosocial support skills, advocacy skills, community analysis to identify relevant community groups to be involved in MHPSS, resource mobilization, problem-solving conflict resolution and peacebuilding while linking the relevant government entities for sustainability.
• Advocate for MHPSS as a cross-cutting topic among protection, education and health sectors, including enhancing MHPSS data collection and service mapping, and harmonized capacity strengthening among all actors.

IOM will continue to carry out standalone protection activities as well as mainstream protection, including gender-based violence (GBV) risk mitigation, across programming, and maintain close coordination with key protection partners and relevant clusters and technical working groups. Key activities will include:

• Provide technical guidance, training and support to help ensure interventions are informed by robust protection and gender analyses and that services can be accessed in a safe and dignified manner.
• Deploy protection and GBV staff to multisectoral teams and missions for vulnerability screening and identification of victims of trafficking.
• Implement protection monitoring in areas of displacement, local integration, and return to identify human rights violations and protection risks, which can act as early warning mechanisms to support preparedness and response.
• Strengthen community-based protection efforts by working with communities to support their self-protection capacities or develop new strategies.
• Provide direct protection assistance to GBV survivors, victims of trafficking, those facing HLP issues, or other vulnerable individuals in need of assistance.
• Expand gender-transformative programming based on best practices to address the root causes of GBV within integrated programming with IOM's humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding programmes.
• Work with and build the capacity of organizations for persons with disabilities or other rights groups to advocate and ensure respect for the rights of marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities.
• Support survivors of GBV, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) survivors, to exercise their rights, including access to justice and protection and multisectoral services, as well as tailored assistance to survivors, including livelihoods assistance and MHPSS, in support of their recovery, wellbeing and resilience.
• Through partnerships and capacity building of local partners, strengthen direct GBV response services, including case management, MHPSS, and legal counselling services for GBV survivors, including CRSV survivors and victims of trafficking.
• Provide direct services to victims of all forms of trafficking, including case management and referrals to specialized services.

IOM will continue to provide integrated, safe, equitable and dignified access to cost-efficient, robust and climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to the most vulnerable IDPs, host communities, and returnees. IOM will also continue to provide WASH services in existing areas of operation and mobilize its emergency preparedness and response teams to rapidly restore service provision in response to crises (such as famine-like conditions or conflict-/flood related displacement) and prevent infectious diseases such as hepatitis E virus and acute watery diarrhea/cholera, thus safeguarding and preventing public health risks.  Activities will include: 

• Ensure provision of safe, dignified, expandable, cost-efficient and robust water, sanitation and hygiene services for the most vulnerable people, including conflict-affected and flood-affected IDPs and host communities, such as populations living in PoCs and IDP sites in Malakal, Bentiu, Wau, Twic, etc. A special focus will be given to reducing the likelihood of public health crisis by providing tailor-made flood-resilient services, and fecal sludge management and solid waste management systems in the intervention areas. 
• Provide surge support to the national WASH Cluster through the timely premobilization of a WASH rapid response team across the country. This team will rapidly restore critical life-saving WASH service provision, including emergency rehabilitation of water drinking supplies, disinfection and distribution of WASH NFIs with a special emphasis on soap and menstrual hygiene management items. GBV-related risks and concerns are taken into consideration in all programming. 
• Ensure primary health facilities and schools in areas of return have minimum basic standards for WASH services and facilities, including latrines, water quality and quantity, drainage and waste management.  
• Strengthen the local economy, improve community resilience, and promote community engagement and ownership through cash-for-work for community members in the intervention areas for the rehabilitation of WASH facilities.

IOM’s WASH interventions will provide nature-based, climate-resilient, resource-oriented, cost-efficient, durable, gender-sensitive and inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene services in transitional and post-crisis contexts through the systematic application of integrated water resources management, circularity, systems design, ecological sanitation and WASH market-based programming, in support of food security, climate resilience, durable solutions and livelihoods. Key activities are highlighted below:

• Operationalize cost-efficient and self-replicable water supply techniques with a special emphasis on manual drilling and small-scale solar pumps. Operationalize water supply interventions that prioritizes integrated water resource management interventions and go beyond domestic water use. A particular focus will be given to the use of renewable water resources for the livelihoods of pastoralists and small-scale farmers.  
• Operationalize nature-based, climate-resilient and resource-efficient WASH services through the implementation of green infrastructure and multi-functional WASH systems, with a particular focus on ecological sanitation and water harvesting techniques. 
• Strengthen self-sufficient WASH management mechanisms and governance systems to enable communities to better respond to their needs and endure future shocks. 
• Strengthen market-based programming by supporting entrepreneurship and small-scale enterprise development, by working through or supporting local markets. 

IOM will systematically apply disaster preparedness, response and recovery approaches in support of climate and disaster risk resilience. Key activities include:

• Operationalize community-based flood and drought-resilient programming through the construction of nature-based and resource-oriented WASH infrastructure across South Sudan. A particular emphasis will be given to nature-based circular water resources and wastewater treatment systems. 
• Operationalize community-based flood and drought-resilient programming by means of the rehabilitation of grey infrastructure (dykes, weirs, etc.) across South Sudan. 
• Increase the disaster risk resilience of existing WASH services to floods and droughts through tailor-made upgrades. A particular emphasis will be given to high-impact, cost-efficient and durable interventions. 
• Increase the understanding of the effects of WASH interventions across the entire crisis life cycle on the available natural resources. A particular emphasis will be exerted on the operationalization of integrated water resources assessment at watershed level and the analysis of the environmental impact of WASH services in the intervention areas. 
   

In 2025, IOM will continue to lead the Shelter and NFI Cluster and Cash Working Group in South Sudan, while promoting the inclusion of national organizations in decision-making. IOM will continue to provide critical life-saving support to vulnerable and at-risk communities, including emergency shelter, NFI kits, long-term shelter solutions, HLP support, and cash grants through mobile and static teams. IOM will continue to adapt to evolving needs and promoting resilience throughout South Sudan’s across humanitarian, development, and peace sectors:

• In the context of protracted displacement in counties affected by recurring floods and conflicts, localize the design of improved emergency shelters (IES) in IDP sites to people with specific needs, with the aim of extending the life-span of new emergency shelters and investing in local community capacity to respond to shocks. 
• In response to acute emergency/displacement in 2025, continue to offer front-line life-saving support including S-NFI emergency through in-kind provisions and cash-based interventions. The cash and voucher assistance will include:
  • Cash-for-work for shelter construction.
  • Vouchers for shelter materials.
  • Conditional cash grants for the construction of transitional shelters.
• Continue to focus on promoting durable solutions for displaced people. IOM will work to help people find permanent and sustainable housing and livelihoods, so that they can rebuild their lives and no longer need to rely on humanitarian assistance. In 2025, IOM will focus on implementation of the settlement approach, through community participation and community-led innovation.  IOM will step up support to long term solutions to displacement through provision of transitional and core housing, aiming at addressing settlement-based needs of the affected population. Key initiatives include:
  • Mainstream disability inclusion.
  • Promote localized and nature-based solutions for housing and infrastructure needs.
  • Strengthen capacity of local artisans and adopting a market-based approach with shelter/housing programmatic linkages with livelihoods.
  • Pilot rental assistance programming in urban areas, leveraging the existing urban infrastructure, while working alongside livelihoods, housing, land, and property, protection and transition and recovery programmes to enable social cohesion and integration of South Sudan returnees from Sudan.

Working with partners, the government, key informants and enumerators, in 2025, IOM will:

• Scale up tailored surveys to inform policies and implement the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) solutions interventions and Mobility Index (SMI), which will help to identify root causes of fragility through data to address protracted displacement. With an aim to help achieve durable solutions for displacement affected communities, the SMI provides data on stability, peace, development, recovery, and reintegration dynamics.
• Continue with the Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) approach to provide partners and government with essential data and comprehensive analysis to measure progress towards solutions while identifying the gaps to be addressed.
• Conduct countrywide coverage of DTM mobility tracking to provide regular updates on the numbers, locations and priority needs of IDPs and returnees, as well as comparative trends analysis.
• Conduct DTM multisectoral needs analyses undertaken through key informant interviews and household surveys, in coordination with humanitarian partners and relevant authorities.
• Conduct DTM event tracking of new displacement incidents to contribute to early warning efforts and inform conflict prevention and rapid response efforts.
• Conduct biometric registrations/verification of affected/targeted populations on a needs basis to create a record of individuals and households in a location for beneficiary selection, vulnerability targeting, and humanitarian programming/intervention.

IOM South Sudan will continue to support coordination initiatives that reinforce the agency of individuals, households and communities combined with systemic support to create environments conducive to the resolution of displacement and sustainable returns and recovery.

Activities will include:

• Conduct coordination, capacity strengthening and strategic planning with partners along the HDPN, notably on durable solutions, including government actors, UN and NGO partners and community management structures.
• Conclude the Wau roadmap to durable solutions, and transition to development programming.

IOM will continue to engage relevant stakeholders, including national and local authorities, NGOs, and community leaders on disaster risk management, preparedness and response, based on comprehensive and context-specific needs assessments, including through:

• Develop flooding/natural hazards related contingency plans at the state, county and Payam level, promote community-based disaster risk management, and provide tools and resources to the communities living in flood-prone areas.
• Strengthen emergency multisectoral coordination in response to displacement, including enhancing the emergency preparedness and response capacity of all stakeholders.
• Preposition core pipeline items as well as train the technical teams to use heavy machinery such as excavators, backhoes, and trash pumps, among others, for quick response capacity.
• Promote the development and utilization of national early warning systems for crises including flooding, famine, locusts, and droughts.
• Finalize risk assessment and risk mapping of hazards and their possible impacts on communities. Risk mapping of hazards is an important part of the community-based disaster risk management manuals. IOM engages communities through participatory rural appraisals, hazard, vulnerability and capacity assessment (HVCA), and focus group discussions and trainings.

In 2025, IOM will continue to implement disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities in South Sudan, with a particular focus on flood risk management and capacity-building of national and state government authorities, particularly the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Specific activities will includeö

• Use the recommendations and findings of environmental social-economic impact assessments (ESIAs), socioeconomic studies, and hydrological studies to inform flood risk management programming.
• Complete the construction and rehabilitation of flood mitigation infrastructure.
• Strengthen state, county- and Payam-level disaster risk management bodies.
• Roll out training on DRR for communities and the government.
• Continue to support the operations and maintenance capacity of the government and communities.
• Promote the development and utilization of national early warning systems for crises including flooding, famine, locusts, and droughts.

IOM remains committed to advancing community stabilization and fostering community-driven development in South Sudan. As a part of this commitment, IOM will continue to support Community Development Committees (CDCs) and other community-led committees as central actors in identifying community vulnerabilities and transforming them into sources of resilience. By encouraging the enhanced community resilience and the community-based planning (CBP) methodology, IOM will empower communities to actively participate in decision-making processes. By embedding peacebuilding skills within livelihood programmes and applying community-driven approaches, IOM aims to promote community-led recovery, sustainable development, and long-term resilience.

Through these integrated, community-driven approaches, IOM will strive to promote vertical integration of these processes into various levels of governance, ensuring that local insights and needs are effectively communicated to local, state and national authorities.

IOM’s approach is inclusive, accounting for vulnerabilities associated with age, gender, disability, and displacement at individual, household, and community levels. In parallel, IOM will enhance the capacities of local administrations and traditional authorities in participatory governance, leadership, and peacebuilding practices, contingent on the stability of the peace agreement and the avoidance of widespread violence in future elections. IOM will:

• Continue to mobilize communities to determine, lead and sustain community development and stabilization.
• Continue to empower community committees, women and vulnerable populations to facilitate linkage within their communities and safely participate as leaders and decision-makers in their community.
• Strengthen the capacity of local, state and national governments to provide and support local service delivery, formulate disaster management plans and respond to disasters.
• Develop and rehabilitate community-level infrastructures and services in selected vulnerable areas through a participatory planning process.
• Continue to support the rollout and strengthening of community policing in communities straddling international borders, as well as mainstreaming women, peace and security in police-community dialogues, and in the development of community safety initiatives to address pressing security issues in their communities. 
• Foster robust partnerships with local NGOs and community-based organizations, alongside international stakeholders, to strengthen resource mobilization and knowledge sharing. This collaborative approach will amplify the effectiveness of community stabilization efforts, ensuring that local voices and capacities are central to our initiatives.

As part of its durable solutions efforts, to strengthen access to livelihoods in 2025, efforts will also focus on promoting adaptation strategies and sustainable practices to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of rural livelihoods in the face of climate-related challenges. IOM will:

• Conduct research and assessments to understand labour market dynamics and tailor activities to local conditions, based on labour market assessments (LMAs) that identify skills gaps, migration opportunities, and intervention recommendations. IOM will also conduct a value chain assessment of specific agricultural products, focusing on production, processing, and transactions, with an inclusive approach to integrating displaced populations into the value chain. This will support sustainable livelihoods and contribute to the economic resilience of affected communities.
• Strengthen the capacity of government institutions and local actors, expanding community asset capacity and ensuring the continuity of programme impact. This action will be essential for programme sustainability, localization, and exit strategy, as well as livelihoods development and promotion the local economy more broadly; including in areas of local integration of IDPs and reintegration of returnees, building on lessons learned in 2024;
• Continue to support enhancing skills in rural areas to address demands for socioeconomic development, leveraging local capacity and the establishment of value chains.
• Support start-ups and local businesses at micro, small and medium levels to grow their operations and enhance the businesses capacity, creating more job opportunities and reducing unemployment. 
• Integrate MHPSS-livelihoods approaches to further enhance business growth and community well-being. Efforts may prioritize businesses led by women, aligning with gender-transformative action plans and empowerment strategies aimed at fostering inclusive economic growth and addressing gender disparities. 

IOM will continue to support peacebuilding interventions, including community dialogues and cattle migration conferences, which can help resolve disputes and past grievances arising from violence and conflicts. These tensions are often triggered by mobility dynamics such as forced displacement, competition for grazing land, access to water, and the prolonged occupation of land. IOM will continue to:

• Implement community dialogues, reconciliation and social cohesion activities, leveraging IOM’s wide community reach to support healing and improve relationships between divided communities, including in areas affected by intercommunal conflicts.
• Strengthen community-level conflict resolution and prevention mechanisms, including the establishment of early warning systems, while exploring opportunities to enhance community violence reduction activities in collaboration with relevant partners.
• Provide support for the establishment of community-based water management and pasture management groups.
• Reduce violence and tensions and strengthen social cohesion at the community levels through ‘peace dividend’ projects.
• Develop and disseminate strategic messages on tolerance, peace, non-violence and interdependence in cooperation with communities utilizing various media and social communication platforms.

As a result of postponed elections planned in 2024, additional initiatives are being implemented to prevent larger-scale violence. This includes:

• Continue to support high-level political activities through active engagement in political negotiations, shuttle diplomacy, and advocacy efforts aimed at creating space and platforms for dialogue, reconciliation, and preparation for the transition to a democratically elected government. IOM’s role includes providing technical support, facilitating discussions, and fostering inclusive dialogue among key stakeholders, including government representatives, political actors, and civil society, to ensure a smooth and sustainable transition process.

In 2025, IOM’s housing, land, and property (HLP) activities will be expanded to new states with a focus on operationalizing policies and strengthening capacities at the national and state levels. With this aim, IOM will:

• Promote the security of tenure for IDPs and returnee communities in South Sudan, through HLP ownership due diligence, awareness raising, capacity strengthening, and legal assistance, to ensure high security of tenure that can support communities with safety, adequate housing, and sustainable access to scarce resources.
• Enhance capacities of national and sub-national land authorities on land records management, document verification and issuance, the application of relevant laws and statutes, administrative practices, statuary and customary laws, and enhancing HLP governance in South Sudan.
• Continue supporting peacebuilding, stabilization and violence reduction efforts by strengthening the capacity of local government and customary land administration institutions in the administration of land, as well as buttressing the capacity of current dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Continue to expand HLP rights-based education to individuals across the country.

IOM will continue providing life-saving multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) to conflict-affected and displaced households, enabling them to purchase essential goods and services. MPCA supports economic recovery by stimulating local markets and fostering social cohesion. Host communities and returnees will benefit equally, promoting solidarity, reducing tensions, and strengthening resilience for a more sustainable recovery. 

Key activities under this intervention include:

• Develop evidence-based selection criteria, which include needs assessments, market feasibility assessment/ evaluations, community consultations, risk and visibility assessments, and ensuring transparency. This ensures that assistance reaches those most in need and identifies potential risks to program implementation. 
• Implement beneficiary registration mechanisms, which ensure accurate and accountable identification of households eligible for assistance. For all types of cash responses, IOM will ensure biometric registration through the DTM team.
• Distribute MPCA through IOM-contracted financial service providers (FSPs) or implementing partners (IPs), ensuring efficient and secure delivery of assistance.
• Distribute unconditional cash grants to allow households to prioritize their needs, including the purchase of shelter materials and NFIs.
• Conduct post-distribution monitoring (PDM) to assess the impact and effectiveness of the cash assistance provided, ensuring that it meets the beneficiaries' needs. PDM will also help identify any risks or areas for improvement, providing valuable insights that inform adjustments to enhance the quality and relevance of future assistance. This continuous feedback loop is essential for ensuring that the programme remains responsive, effective, and aligned with the evolving needs of the affected populations.
• Establish AAP measures, including complaints and feedback mechanisms, to ensure responsible, sustainable, and protection-sensitive implementation of the MPCA, allowing for transparency and accountability in meeting the needs of affected populations.

IOM will assist in the development of regional and international frameworks, enhance coordination with government institutions and regional networks and facilitating cross-border cooperation for effective migration governance, where addressing the mobility dimensions of crisis is an integral component. IOM will:

• Provide training to national authorities to assess migration trends and develop appropriate policies related to identity management, identification processes, temporary entry requirements, health protocols, and the prevention of migrant smuggling and human trafficking, which consider the specific needs of crisis-affected populations. The training will also enhance their capacity to protect and support migrants in vulnerable situations. 
• Promote ethical recruitment principles and practices by strengthening the capacity of government authorities to better regulate the recruitment industry, safeguard migrant workers and prevent labour exploitation and forced labour, reducing risks for vulnerable populations. 
• Assess and strengthen labour market policies, reduce xenophobia, and regulate and manage labour migration, to maximize the benefits and reduce potential risks.
• Support the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) in fulfilling its commitments under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This includes capacity development, facilitating regional cooperation, and raising nationwide awareness on trafficking in persons. These efforts align with IOM's broader work on trafficking in persons, recognizing the heightened risks in crisis contexts and the need for coordinated action to address them.
• Strengthening diaspora participation, ensure institutional dialogue, facilitate diaspora return, and enhance government-diaspora relationships, maximizing the potential benefits of remittances to South Sudan.

IOM will provide comprehensive support to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan. This includes assisting returnees, refugees, and stranded migrants with safe and orderly movement from border areas to transit sites and onward to their areas of origin. The assistance will encompass transportation, document verification, health and vulnerability screenings, special assistance as needed, and cash support to ensure a dignified and secure journey. IOM will:

• Provide onward transportation assistance (OTA) including transportation, document verification, special assistance and cash support to returnees and refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan including provision of movement assistance from border areas to transit sites, vulnerability and pre-departure health screening and further movement assistance to areas of origin. 
• For stranded migrants who have fled the fighting in Sudan, provide movement assistance including pre-departure support, including consular liaison, accommodation, vulnerability and health screening, domestic and international travel with escorts as required, transit and post-arrival assistance.

IOM provides integrated policy support mechanisms that offer comprehensive assistance in policy formulation and implementation by national counterparts. IOM strives to ensure that policies related to migration and displacement are well-aligned with national development objectives and government frameworks. This includes supporting the creation of policies that respond to dynamic migration trends, internal displacement challenges, and returnee reintegration. By incorporating integrated policy support mechanisms, IOM aims to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of displacement and migration governance, promoting a holistic approach to addressing population movements in South Sudan, and accounting for the specific needs and aspirations of crisis-affected populations.

IOM in South Sudan employs integrated policy support mechanisms that encompass several key components:

• Gather and analyze data on migration, internal displacement, and return trends to inform evidence-based policy decisions on returns, assistance, and durable solutions.
• Collaborate with all levels of government, UN partners, civil society, and NGOs to ensure policies related to displaced populations and internal and international migrants are developed through inclusive dialogue.
• Strengthen the skills and knowledge of government policymakers and implementing partners to effectively address displacement, return, and other migration-related challenges.
• Support the development and implementation of the country's diaspora policy, which seeks to enhance engagement with the South Sudanese diaspora, mobilize resources, and harness their expertise to contribute to national development and peacebuilding efforts.

Through these efforts, IOM supports the South Sudanese government in advancing policies that promote durable solutions for IDPs, returnees, and affected communities, in line with national frameworks and priorities.