GPC Operations Cell: gpc[at]unhcr.org
Gender-Based Violence: chase[at]unfpa.org
Child Protection: rpouwels[at]unicef.org
Housing, Land and Property: jim.robinson[at]nrc.no
Mine Action: unmasgeneva[at]un.org
Different parties to the conflict in South Sudan have often attempted to reach peaceful agreements. But these efforts have been short-lived—unraveled by intercommunal violence and attacks among ethnic groups. Daily inter-tribal violence over raiding of cattle, burning villages and shelters, kidnapping children for forced recruitment or girls for early marriages, are often coopted and mobilised by military and political groups, exacerbating political conflict and posing threats to civilian wellbeing. Most of the population can be categorized as poor, and with humanitarian access seriously compromised, they are left to fend for themselves in hostile environments. Women and girls are particularly at risk in the country.
The Protection Cluster was activated in South Sudan to ensure the coordination of protection interventions in emergencies and to respond to the protection needs of people affected by conflict and natural disasters. It is composed of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Area of Responsibility (AoR), the Child Protection (CP) AoR, the Mine Action (MA) AoR and a Housing, Land, and Property AoR. The Protection Cluster is led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and co-coordinated by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The mission of Protection Cluster is to ensure well-coordinated, effective, and principled preparedness actions and responses, and that protection is at the core of all humanitarian actions as a lifesaving activity and recognized as essential in any nexus with development and peace action to achieve solutions. (SSD PC Key Messages on Protection as Life-Saving).
The Protection Cluster under its Strategy is addressing the cross-cutting humanitarian areas by facilitating cooperation frameworks, analysis, engaging in the development and design of actions related to localization, the Humanitarian-Development-Peacebuilding (HDP) Nexus, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA). More details on the Protection Cluster directions in HNRP 2025.
The Protection Cluster Dashboard landing page provides information on the national and sub-national coordination structures, as well as 5Ws and service mapping across all functional areas, protection services, and assistance delivered in South Sudan.
Protection Cluster South Sudan collects monthly data from member organizations on the delivery of protection services to people in need and displays the information on the 5W interactive dashboard below:
Additionally, the Protection Cluster Service Mapping Dashboard (see page 3 of the above dashboard) is used for analysis and identification of the gaps in relation to protection risks, response planning in respective areas, and to draw the attention of ICCG for resource mobilization and effective response coordination. Also, the dashboard is used as a referral pathway for protection service providers upon receiving support inquiries.
In South Sudan, helping people stay safe and protect their families starts with understanding the dangers (Protection Risks) they face. That’s why, in 2021, the Protection Cluster began working on a new system to listen to communities and understand what’s putting them at risk. This effort, called the Protection Risks Monitoring System (PRMS), was designed to collect real-life information — from people themselves — on protection risks like violence, family separation, and blocked access to services. Please see below the PRMS dashboard.