The Peacebuilding Commission delegation visits South Sudan
From 6 to 9 December, the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, Ambassador Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, accompanied by the two Vice-Chairs of the PBC, Ambassador Abdelkhalek, Permanent Representative of Egypt and?Ms. Carlson of the Dominican Republic and by Ms. Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, visited South Sudan to witness the progress made on the implementation of peacebuilding priorities presented by the Government at the PBC meeting on ¡°Building Peace through Institutions and Governance in South Sudan¡± on 26 October.? With a focus on accountable governance, public financial management, and the delivery of basic services?the meeting -?the first of its kind for South Sudan -?was an opportunity for the government to brief the Commission on its peacebuilding efforts to support the implementation of the benchmarks of the revitalized peace agreement, in complement to the support provided by the Security Council. A press release was also issued in which member states requested a visit to follow up on peacebuilding challenges and priorities presented by the government of South Sudan.
During the visit, the Commission delegation met with a wide range of actors including senior government officials such as the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Minister of Peacebuilding, as well as civil society organizations, UN entities, International Financial Institutions, regional partners and international donors. The delegation also visited a peacebuilding project in the county of Wau, in Western Bahr el Ghazal State,?funded by the UN Secretary-General¡¯s Peacebuilding Fund and implemented by the Government, IOM and UNESCO in partnership with Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), a national NGO. The visit of solar panel project installed by the Bangladeshi contingent of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was also included in the programme.
The delegation welcomed the progress made in the implementation of some of the outstanding elements of the Revitalized Peace Agreement. These include the development of a functioning government and national legislature at national and sub-national levels, the building of national unified forces and preparations underway on key draft legislation. While noting the collective commitment displayed across Government interlocutors on the implementation of the peace agreement and the roadmap, the Chairs observed?the tremendous challenges that remain to be tackled including on the constitution-making process and the preparation of the 2024 elections within a relatively short timeline. They stressed the need to swiftly move forward on the implementation of the roadmap during the remainder of the transitional period. The delegation also emphasized the importance of ensuring inclusion of all stakeholders,?ensuring the voices of young people are heard consistently and that women fully participate in all phases of the peace process. ?
As a direct follow-up to the field visit of the Commission, a follow up meeting of the PBC on South Sudan is planned for early 2023, during which the Chairs will report back on their visit to continue mobilizing the support?of the international community to accompany?South Sudan¡¯s peacebuilding journey. ?