Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using asset-based community development strategies to support displaced people in South Sudan.

In South Sudan, we support the World Food Programme's asset creation and livelihoods interventions, which help local communities to become more self-sufficient and resilient. This includes constructing wells, roads and supporting small businesses. We are also supporting an NGO-led project THRIVE (Transforming Household Resilience Through Inclusive Economic Development in South Sudan), which is helping vulnerable pastoral communities to sustain livelihoods and strengthen the markets they rely on. For example, this includes supporting farmer cooperatives, sustainable tree nurseries and cold storage of fisheries. In addition, we work with the International Organization for Migration to support people displaced by conflict or natural disasters. Together, we help them find safer, more stable places to live and rebuild their lives. These efforts align with our broader objectives of sustainable development and conflict recovery in South Sudan.