The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and UNMISS chief on Thursday said time is of the essence in view of the looming end of the transitional period for the transitional government and parties to the revitalized agreement to expeditiously implement fundamental areas in the agreement.
Nicholas Haysom was speaking during the 23rd R-JMEC Plenary Meeting.
“To underline our main concerns, the government and the parties must work with a sense of urgency to; pass the constitutional making process bill, Graduate the first batch of the NUF and progress the 3 April agreement,” he said. “The parties should work with NCAC to expedite the National Elections Bill process and agree on a roadmap to exit the transitional period with free, fair, and peaceful elections.”
Haysom thanked RJMEC for convening the meeting and acknowledged that there have been some positive developments in the recent past.
“I would like to begin by acknowledging the positive developments in the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement since the last RJMEC Plenary,” he said. “First, the swearing-in of all state assemblies represents an important step in completing the formation of the governance structures as stipulated in Chapter 1, particularly at the state level.”
He said UNMISS, with its presence across all 10 states, stands ready as a partner to support the consolidation of accountable and responsive government structures.
“I welcome the progress made on Chapter 2 by means of the April 3 Agreement on the Command Structures and subsequent appointments. While long overdue, I congratulate the parties for their courage in reaching a compromise and I thank the Government of Sudan for its facilitative role,” Haysom said.
He added that notable progress was also made on Chapter 5 of the peace agreement regarding the Commission for Truth Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH).
“It is encouraging to see that the public consultation process has begun in earnest through dispatching members from the technical committee of the Commission to different states,” he added. “This process provides the platform to realize the rights to truth, justice, reparation and the guarantees of non-recurrence, by addressing the root causes of past trauma.”
According to Haysom, the recent mandate extension of the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) and the passing of the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill by parliament is an example of promising results once there is political will.
“The resumption of the NCAC supports the legislative process and in particular allows for the review of the National Elections Act 2012. This in turn will provide the legislative framework for launching the electoral process, including the reconstitution of the National Elections Commission,” he said. “This process is fundamental for South Sudan to exit the transitional phase. The pace with which the parties pass the electoral bill and reconstitute the NEC will demonstrate their commitment to the timelines for conducting free, fair, and credible elections.”
The UNMISS chief said there is no reason why the government of national unity, and in particular, the TNLA cannot promptly put in place the necessary legislative framework to prepare for elections and to effect the required Judiciary and Financial reforms.