[As Delivered]
Thank you for joining me at today’s press conference and welcome to everyone tuning in live on Radio Miraya.Today, I’ll be briefing on three main areas —
Firstly, commending progress on technical preparations for elections that we’ve seen more recently. Secondly, our ongoing efforts to create an enabling environment for all stakeholders—including civil society and the most vulnerable South Sudanese—to own and energize peace implementation. And, lastly, as 2024 comes to an end, take stock of priority actions that are vital for South Sudan to complete its long-awaited democratic transition.When I spoke to you in October, we were aware of the real public fatigue at the fourth extension of the transitional period since South Sudan gained independence. At the time, all stakeholders stressed the need for a realistic electoral timeline to inspire confidence that the country was to make this the very last extension.Today, I’m pleased to inform you that, just last week, the National Elections Commission (NEC), at the end of a three-day planning retreat facilitated by the UN’s Integrated Electoral Assistance Team, has committed to developing a clear electoral operations timeline that will enable them to deliver credible elections by December 2026. This detailed timetable will outline, not only, the political decisions needed for the NEC to fulfil its responsibilities, but also the legal, financial and technical requirements to fully implement elections within the timeframe.Vitally, the NEC has spotlighted the necessity to start immediate preparations for voter registration. This logistics-heavy exercise underpins the entire concept of democratic elections. It’s simple – if you’re not registered to vote, you won’t have a voice in shaping your country’s future. The NEC has, therefore, unequivocally stated that key political, operational and resourcing decisions linked to voter registration and elections must be taken as soon as possible, so that the actual process of registering voters and preparations for elections can start. From our perspective, comprehensive voter registration creates the space for all citizens—including the most vulnerable, but also reaching all ethnic and other communities—to come together in the shared enterprise of building a better future. It’s the springboard upon which the South Sudanese can launch a nation building movement in the course of its first elections. The Commission will also produce a list of critical amendments and clarifications to the legal framework governing elections. These are needed for the NEC to plan and begin implementing the electoral process, such as, for example: what aspects of the electoral systems will be used for different elections; how will IDPs, refugees and South Sudanese living abroad participate; how will electoral disputes be settled; what are realistic timelines for the publication of results; what are the conditions for registering political parties, to name a few. Another important consideration is what population data would be used for boundary delimitation, taking into account electoral timeline requirements for a December 2026 election. A strong legal framework promotes equity and confidence and is directly linked to elections that are considered legitimate, free and fair by the people of South Sudan. I want to underscore that elections that don’t have the confidence of the population could be catastrophic for the country, even possibly sending it back into a relapse into conflict. It’s the outcome we must collectively strive to avoid at all costs because neither South Sudan nor the broader region can afford another war. The NEC has earmarked several action points to make these outcomes possible. I’m heartened by the Commission’s efforts so far. I would simply urge that all political parties, stakeholders and the Government take the related political and financial decisions to complete these steps early in the New Year. As I mentioned to the Security Council last month, the UN will continue moving ahead with our assistance to the NEC, not only through programmatic activities, but also through brick-and-mortar investments in the form of infrastructure support for the Commission in all 10 states, that is, building offices and spaces to enable them to function. These will be funded through our Quick Impact Projects and complement our technical support to the NEC in planning and managing electoral processes. We’ve also redoubled our political engagements at both national and sub-national levels to create a thorough awareness among political actors, civil society, security personnel, justice actors, community and faith-based leaders, women, and youth about their roles and responsibilities in political processes, especially since the burden of monitoring and observing elections will largely fall on the South Sudanese themselves. As I’m speaking to you now, we are concurrently hosting a political forum in Aweil with political parties, civil society, and security sector actors. The aim is to create trust among them, thereby enabling an open civic and political space for real conversations. In past months, we’ve held similar meetings in Juba, Bor, Rumbek, Yambio, Wau and Bentiu. I’m happy to say that this rolling initiative has led to written commitments from state leaders in Central and Western Equatoria, Lakes, Unity and Jonglei on expanding the civic and political space—a critical condition for an enabling environment for elections.Today—Human Rights Day—I pledge that we will continue driving initiatives to enhance civic and political space by enabling dialogues across the spectrum on what a democratic society means to the South Sudanese, and how they can collectively contribute to achieving it. An election cannot be conducted in an environment where people do not have the freedom to have these conversations, where a plurality of views and opinions aren’t encouraged. Expanding civic and political space, therefore, isn’t an empty slogan. It is the foundation for an electoral process that is free, fair, credible and inclusive. Speaking of inclusion, at the national level, I’ve had the privilege to witness frank, constructive exchanges between political party youth wings. It was impressive to see young people overcome their political divisions and demand that the voice of youth be heard as a single collective voice. And since that event, I have seen these same youth leaders engage at the national level, seeking to ensure that South Sudanese youth are able to express their interests in a better future. To me, this is a strong indication of a more durable political environment, which must be encouraged. As you know, the electoral process cannot be viewed in isolation. Formal civic education has yet to begin for the permanent constitution making process. I call, once again, on the Government to release funds to the technical bodies so that these deliberations can start, and citizens have the chance to define what it means to them to be South Sudanese. In anticipation, we will continue to support, convene and prompt discussions on relevant topics such as federalism, governance and fiscal devolution. In recognition of the importance of civil society actors across the country, this year we’ve hosted three national dialogues, bringing them into direct contact with key electoral, political and justice actors. We’ll be carrying these strong, crosscutting networks well into next year, particularly our ongoing partnership with 200 civil society organizations to build monitoring alliances, boost civic education, and ensure participation in the important task of electoral observation.I’d like to commend the parties to the Revitalized Peace Agreement and the non-signatory groups for resuming the Tumaini talks in Nairobi. This has given the South Sudanese people hope that their leaders are working in their best interests, and I urge everybody in Nairobi to seize this opportunity to transcend their differences and work towards the greatest good for their people. As a demonstration of our support for this inclusive step, we’ve sent a Radio Miraya team to Nairobi, giving all voices and opinions the platform to be heard across the country. Moreover, we financed a delegation of women to ensure female voices are heard and accounted for. We all know that peace agreements are more likely to succeed if women—who make up 50 per cent of society—are fully and equally represented. I’m glad to see movement here in Juba on judicial reforms, a key benchmark contained within the Peace Agreement. The final report from the Judicial Reforms Committee is now with the Government for implementation. This report outlines key recommendations designed to improve access to justice and contribute to safeguarding the rights of all citizens. What we’ve been doing to improve access to justice is deploying mobile courts and General Court Martials in hard-to-reach areas. We undertake this in collaboration with South Sudan’s judiciary, the SSPDF Military Justice Directorate, the government and partners. Between 2018-2024, we’ve taken these courts across Koch, Mayom and Bentiu, in Unity state; Yei in Central Equatoria; Maridi in Western Equatoria; Malakal in Upper Nile; Gette in Western Bahr El Ghazal, amongst others. We’ve even helped deploy courts with a special focus on cattle-related crimes. But, this month—and I say this with great pride—for the first time since 2013, a 21-day mobile court has been deployed by the government itself in Unity state. I’d also like to commend the Strategic Defense and Review Board for organizing the recently concluded National Security Sector Reform Conference. The workshop’s objective was to conduct a public review and validation of three important strategic documents, namely, the White Paper on Defense and Security; the Revised Defense Policy; and the Security Policy Framework. Next steps include the consolidation of the presented documents and their submission to the President and Vice-President, then to the Council of Ministers and, finally, to Parliament. This is particularly significant considering the wider security sector reform envisaged by the Revitalized Peace Agreement and I urge the parties to address outstanding tasks in this regard. Finalizing transitional security arrangements is the only way to reliably prevent or contain one-off security issues and ensure these aren’t used to promote divisions. As of today, much remains to be done to fully deploy Phase 2 of the Necessary Unified Forces and appoint mid-level commanders needed for effective command and control throughout security structures. This needs attention because the country must have a robust security structure in place before elections; and it must be a security apparatus that represents, serves, and holds the confidence of the people. Moreover, clarity on electoral security responsibilities is urgently needed. Confidence in the role of security forces during the elections, and the security environment itself, are integral to the trust and integrity of the electoral process. Elections in any country are fraught with the risk of violence before, during and after the citizens head to the polls, and South Sudan’s leaders must give the highest consideration to the safety and security of their people during an electoral period. Our peacekeepers, of course, continue to protect civilians and shore up community confidence. Through our temporary bases in places like Abiemnomh in Unity state, we’re providing a protective presence to communities where government security actors cannot reach. In Tambura, we’re relocating our temporary base to be able to better protect communities more robustly and proactively prevent violence. We’re assisting flood-affected communities by building hundreds of kilometers of berms and dykes; and ensuring airstrips remain operational for humanitarian partners to deliver life-saving aid. We’re also constructing and repairing roads to enable people to convene, connect, and trade. One of our immediate peacekeeping priorities—and many of you in the media are reporting on it—is countering talk of largescale youth mobilization in Jonglei, through direct engagement with local authorities and community leaders. Our peacekeepers are patrolling known hotspots to try and prevent escalations. But, let me repeat myself—we cannot be everywhere at once. That’s why it’s crucial that the security provisions of the Peace Agreement don’t fall by the wayside and the Government is better able to fulfil its sovereign responsibility to protect its citizens.The year end is always a time for reflection, and I am aware of the profound challenges facing South Sudan—human flows from the Sudan conflict, the need to harness the economy towards development while addressing corruption, climate shocks, a rising cholera outbreak, and intercommunal conflict. These challenges are real but so is the tremendous opportunity to choose hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.I, therefore, call on South Sudan’s leaders to carry forward this hope by making every effort to recapture the optimism and good intentions that Independence had brought to their people. The only way they can do so is by fully implementing the peace deal that the leaders themselves wrote into existence. There are no shortcuts in the journey from war to peace. But I remain convinced that with decisive actions, a unified approach and moral courage, peace is not only possible, it’s inevitable.In conclusion, I wish everyone, including our listeners on Radio Miraya, a peaceful, joyous holiday season. I’ll stop here and take any questions you may have.--Contact: UNMISS Spokesperson, Priyanka Chowdhury at chowdhury20@un.org(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail) or unmiss-spokesperson@un.org