Viable Support to Transition and Stability (VISTAS) Q3 FY 2018 Quarterly Report

An additional obligation of $11.5 million and a 10-month extension through May 8, 2019, was executed on May 24, 2018. This allowed for the green-lighting of 27 activities worth a total of $2.9 million. The program held a Rolling Assessment at TM Lion Hotel in Juba from June 4-8, 2018, to plan for the extension period. The focus was on preparing teams to implement activities with a lighter operational footprint and strategically preparing local partners and activities to operate in a post-VISTAS environment. Operational policies and procedures were reviewed to address questions and concerns from program teams. On the political and security front, the country was relatively quiet, waiting for the outcome of peace talks in Addis Ababa. However, fighting in Unity State intensified, destabilizing the region and affecting various VISTAS grantees. Operations continued uninterrupted in and around the Bentiu Protection of Civilians (POC) site. The state of emergency imposed in Lakes created additional challenges for activity implementation, requiring prior permission and approval from local authorities and the army. The High-Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) convened by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and sponsored by the Troika (United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom) took place in May 2018. The talks failed to provide any substantial changes, and the SPLM-IO RM immediately rejected the compromise document, while the Government accepted part of it and the smaller opposition groups announced that they would not accept it without more representation. The VISTAS program will focus on submitting grants to USAID for approval and ramping up project implementation as quickly as possible in the fourth quarter. Ensuring that local partners and legacy VISTAS activities have the capacity to continue beyond VISTAS support remains a priority. The regional approach to the peace process gained momentum in the latter part of Q3, with meetings held in Addis and Khartoum, and another planned for Nairobi. Riek Machar has been released from house arrest in South Africa and attended all meetings, including a closed-door meeting between President Kiir and Riek Machar. However, no real progress has been made on ending the conflict, and the Government has made it clear that they will not accept Riek Machar back into the Government. The VISTAS program has made significant progress in implementing activities, with a total of 27 activities cleared in FY18 Q3, worth a total of $2.9 million. The average TAP activity size was $108,638, and the total value of activities cleared in FY18 Q3 was $2,933,227. TAP funds disbursed in FY18 Q3 totaled $766,456, and the total TAP funds disbursed to date was $34,975,795.