Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons

Purpose and use
This evaluation of Phase One of the Challenging the Politics of Social Exclusion (CPSE) project (2018–2024) assesses achievements, challenges, and lessons to inform future research-to-policy programming. It supports design and implementation of CPSE 2.0 (2024–2027), focusing on relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. Primary users include APHRC leadership, CPSE staff, and Sida Africa region staff.

Conclusion
CPSE 1.0 advanced policy commitments on SRHR and social inclusion, strengthened partnerships, and produced relevant research. However, gaps in monitoring, planning, and stakeholder engagement limit scalability. The project’s MEL system and knowledge management lacked structure, and the absence of a medium-term strategy hindered sustainability.

Recommendation
CPSE 2.0 should adopt a medium-term strategic plan, clarify roles across its three pillars, and improve MEL systems. A Partner Map and typology should guide collaboration, while systems thinking and joint programming can enhance impact. Innovative financing and operational engagement with decisionmakers
are key to sustaining progress.

The Health Pooled Fund (HPF) was a multi-donor program launched in 2012 to support delivery of essential health services in South Sudan. At its inception, the long-term goal was to build a government-led health system leading to improved quality of care on maternal and infant health.

To this end, the HPF contracted implementing partners to deliver a sub-set of services, while strengthening the Government’s capacities and ability to take over health service delivery in the longer-term.

Our study shows that the HPF played a pivotal role in preventing total collapse of healthcare delivery, and likely realised its intended impact in terms of decreasing maternal and child mortality. However, it fell short of achieving a government-led health system. Low capacities of the Government, lack of skilled health personnel, financial constraints (or lack of prioritisation) in public budgets leave the healthcare system in South Sudan highly reliant on donor engagement and funding.

In addition, gaps or disruptions in HPF service delivery highlight the high risk that its achievements may be reversed in the absence of institutional and financial sustainability.