When a fragile country such as South Sudan is faced with a bigger challenge of COVID-19 pandemic, there is need to understand the magnitude of the challenge and then step back to determine how best to address it before it overwhelms the country.

This report on gender and socio-economic impact assessment of COVID-19 in Juba Municipality, conducted by the University of Juba in partnership with UNDP, offers insights and a wealth of knowledge, practices and experiences to address issues that emerged because of COVID-19 pandemic. While this is a major health emergency, the overwhelming evidence points to the equally far reaching development implications. It underlines fears, hurdles and challenges that citizens are facing by clearly demonstrating the debilitating effects of COVID-19 on communities, households and, more importantly, on female headed households' general social and economic conditions. There are enormous difficulties experienced in affording goods and services, particularly for the population that is currently living on as low as less than quarter of a dollar a day.

The report recommends strategies for enhancing prevention, response and recovery, particularly for vulnerable groups and those living on the margins. Certainly, restoring a country to a health stance will depend on everyone's action. Thus, it recommends strategies that can assist various stakeholders - including health workers, policy makers, development practitioners and partners to tailor their interventions to evidence-based responses. Moreover, it highlights areas that require collective responsibility, support and advice to safeguard the communities.

The imperative is, therefore, to invest more in the health sector and intensify community sensitization for behavioral change while advancing vital social and economic reforms for economic stabilization and recovery. Meanwhile, the scrupulous implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) is of the uttermost importance as development can thrive well when peace and tranquility is restored in the country.