As South Sudan continues to celebrate International Women’s Day, the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) on Tuesday held a one-day workshop to raise awareness about the Mechanism’s CTSAMVM’s role in peace implementation and women’s involvement in peace and security.
The event brought together 65 female representatives from civil society organizations, the gender ministry, national NGOs, and the security sector. It also focused on empowering women and girls to advance equality, safety, and a healthy environment.
In his opening remarks, CTSAMVM Chairperson Maj. Gen. Yitayal Gelaw Bitew underscored that it is vital to support women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution processes and share critical information about the peace process to enable informed citizens’ participation.
“You, the women of South Sudan gathered here today are integral stakeholders in that process. I also want to express my deep appreciation to the CTSAMVM team for convening this significant workshop. This gathering provides an opportunity to discuss and evaluate gender-related reports submitted by CTSAMVM,” he said. “As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let us renew our collective commitment to empowering women and girls not just in words, but through action.”
Gen. Gelaw added: “Let us work together to create a future where equality, safety, and a healthy environment are a reality for all.”
He said peace and security in South Sudan cannot be sustained unless women’s voices are heard, their rights protected, and their leadership recognized.
“We hope the discussions today will raise awareness about the peace process and help strengthen your roles in achieving a more inclusive implementation of the Permanent Ceasefire provisions, particularly those related to civilian protection,” Gelaw stated. “CTSAMVM remains committed to promoting inclusive participation for all South Sudanese in implementing the peace agreement. As Chapter 2 of the R-ARCSS stipulates, we will continue our efforts to fully discharge our monitoring, verification, and reporting mandate”
According to the chairperson, CTSAMVM remains dedicated to promoting the protection of civilians, particularly women, children, and vulnerable groups.
“CTSAMVM calls on all of you to work with our Monitoring and Verification Teams across South Sudan to assist us in delivering our mandate and fully disseminate the objectives of the Peace Agreement,” Gelaw concluded.