Jonglei Governor calls on WFP to enhance community resilience against floods

BOR – The governor of South Sudan’s Jonglei State, Dr. Riek Gai Kok, urged the World Food Programme (WFP) on Sunday to focus on strengthening community resilience to mitigate flood challenges in the state.

Governor Gai made this appeal made during a meeting with Mr. Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of WFP, which took place in Juba.

The high-level consultative meeting aimed to discuss strategies for improving collaboration with WFP and addressing the issue of flood mitigation.

During the meeting, Dr. Gai outlined the most critical challenges facing the state and called for collaborative efforts to build a more resilient future.

“WFP has been with us before independence and remains a reliable partner to Jonglei and South Sudan. We are confident that the new strategic framework will deepen our cooperation and deliver transformative outcomes for our people,” Dr. Gai said.

He said they discussed ways to build the resilience of communities on livelihoods, market access, nutrition, emergency preparedness response, and disaster risk management.

He expressed concern over flooding that devastates the state, disrupting livelihoods and displacing thousands.

He describes the floods as a “recurrent and severe” threat that critically affects food security and economic stability in Jonglei state.

He voiced concern over the poor state of roads in the state, which he said hindered access to markets, hampered the movement of goods, and obstructed local economic development.

He seeks support of WFP to help build infrastructure projects to enhance connectivity and unlock economic opportunities for local communities.

He also made a comprehensive appeal for a strategic partnership with the WFP to transform Jonglei into a “resilient and prosperous community” capable of withstanding future challenges.

For his part, Mr. Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the World Food Programme, reiterated WFP’s dedication to aligning its operational priorities with the state government.

He emphasized the agency’s readiness to support flood-affected populations, expand seedling distribution to promote food resilience, and enhance school feeding initiatives.

“It was a very productive engagement with Governor Riek. We discussed targeted interventions to empower communities, strengthen food systems, and reinforce the foundations of resilience and self-reliance,” said Skau.