South Sudan concludes Integrated Food Security Phase Classification

The ministry of agriculture and food security and the UN made a joint statement on the analytical phase of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for 2022 on Monday.

The Communiqué is the product of a two-week workshop in which the Technical Working Group brought together experts from many agencies and sectors to analyse evidence convergence using IPC norms to agree on population classification and estimates for various categories.

According to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Josephine Lagu, and the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the 2022 IPC builds on previous years’ successes by drawing on expertise from the full range of actors involved in food security in South Sudan.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a multi-partner, rigorous process for food security and nutrition analysis that is used by governments and other stakeholders to make decisions.

The results of the IPC are used by the government, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, civil society, and other relevant players as the most accurate portrayal of the severity and size of acute and chronic food insecurity, as well as acute malnutrition, in the country.

South Sudan’s independence, according to Josephine Lagu, has had a significant impact on the IPC’s evolution since its creation.

“The government of the Republic of South Sudan has long recognised the value the IPC can bring, utilising the insights, analyses, and outputs to develop and coordinate evidence-based interventions to address hunger and malnutrition in the country,” said Josephine.

Meanwhile, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Ms. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, has expressed satisfaction with the process of generating a shared understanding of the situation in South Sudan based on an open, transparent, inclusive, and scientifically rigorous discussion among technical experts.

“We are confident that this process will facilitate fruitful collaboration in pursuit of our common goal of protecting and improving the lives and livelihoods of the population of South Sudan,” she said in the communique.

The IPC analysis exercise began on March 9, 2022, and ended on March 18th, 2022, with the results to be revealed in April of that year.