background
Ralf Knoche
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englisch
bild Republic of South Sudan
Project identification and project proposal: Housing programme
Period: 11/2010
Employer: Technisches Hilfswerk (THW, German Federal Agency for Technical Relief) on behalf of German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt, Stab Humanitäre Hilfe)
Description: For decades Sudan has been a violent country with different civil wars. In November 2010 the political situation was highly influenced by the referendum, planned in January 2011. After a comprehensive peace agreement, dated 18th July 2005 clashes between SLPA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) and regular Sudanese armed forces took place at the border to the semi-autonomous South. In the context of presidential election and parliament in April 2010 the Sudanese President Al-Bashir declared that he would accept the result of a referendum in the South. The focus of UNMIS (United Nations Mission in Sudan) lied in the preparation and realisation of the referendum and the realisation of its result.

The base of the administration of UNMIS was in Juba, the possible capital of an independent South Sudan. Due to the fact that UNMIS probably would be in place for several years the semi-autonomous Government of South Sudan provided a compound of 1.2 km2 in the South-West of Juba to the UN. In this compound a UN-camp should arise, which should be used not only by UNMIS, but also other UN organisations. The land development concept, developed for this purpose, was a pilot project in the frame of “Global Field Support Strategy”. Main aim of this strategy was a modular design for UN-missions. The idea of this concept for the construction of buildings was to utilise locally produced material (as much as possible) and to construct the buildings with local workers. Special attention should be paid on capacity development for former rebel fighters in the context of “disbarment, demobilisation, reintegration”.

Main task of THW was the construction of 50 out 175 twin houses in the above-mentioned way. For this purpose at first 25 houses were built to gain necessary experience and thus to evaluate the results to adjust the overall concept, if necessary. Beside the construction of necessary living space the reintegration of former fighters to civil society was a major aim of the project.
Services provided: Feasibility studies for above-described project and short- and midterm options of THW to support UNMIS
- Elaboration of project proposal
- Review of design, technical specifications and bill of quantities