Refugees International Senior Advocate Andrea Lari and Advocate Melanie Teff will conduct a mission to southern Sudan from January 26 – February 19, 2008 to assess progress in areas of return in southern Sudan. The RI team will follow up on the previous RI assessment of June 2007.

The primary purpose of this mission is to examine to what extent progress has been made towards reconstruction and the expansion of the provision of basic services that are necessary to enable returning refugees and internally displaced persons to re-establish their lives in southern Sudan. RI will assess progress of the early recovery process and identify any constraints. RI will focus in particular on the involvement of women, and the extent to which the recovery and reconstruction strategies being developed by governmental and non-governmental actors are gender-sensitive and inclusive of women.

The RI team will also look into funding issues, focusing on the management of the transition from relief to development programming and the functioning of various funding mechanisms intended to support individuals and communities in areas of return.

Going into this mission RI remains concerned that gaps in support to returnees continue to exist, with donors largely abandoning humanitarian and recovery programs in favor of long-term development work in partnership with the government of South Sudan. While the latter is essential, basic needs of returnees need to be met as the long-term development programming gradually moves forward.