As South Sudan starts to implement the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict, one of its major challenges is to establish a framework that ensures security in the country. At a public event I attended last week, a high-ranking guest of honor from the Government of South Sudan made an encouraging statement; “The mother of everything is peace and security”. Indeed, no one can take action unless security is ensured. This is what I feel most strongly about since I was posted to Juba this spring.
On 31 August 2015, the Republic of South Sudan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kenya for the deployment of 55 Kenyan Civil Service Support Officers (CSSOs) to South Sudan. The CSSOs are deployed under Phase II of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development/Republic of South Sudan (IGAD/RSS) capacity building initiative.
On 27 August 2015, the day after H.E. President Salva Kiir signed the peace agreement, the results of a survey on perceptions of truth, justice, reconciliation and healing in South Sudan were presented to the Judiciary of South Sudan.
26 August 2015, Juba – UNDP hosted a two-day experience sharing workshop on an Infrastructure for Peace for South Sudan. The objective was two-fold. First, to invite guests from neighbouring countries and some further afield who have existing infrastructures for peace to share their experiences of the journey they took and the lessons learnt that could help South Sudan as it reflects on how best to establish a robust and well-coordinated infrastructure. Second, to provide an opportunity for all who are currently involved in peace building to discuss and agree on a suitable framework and roadmap for such a process.
On 24 August 2015, 50 returnees, including 27 women, graduated from the vocational training programme at the Don Bosco Training Centre and were provided with vocational toolkits at a ceremony held in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal.
Thirty five civil service support officers today arrived in Juba from Uganda to participate in the Republic of South Sudan/Intergovernmental Authority on Development (RSS/IGAD) regional initiative for capacity enhancement in South Sudan.
The Embassy of Japan in South Sudan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are pleased to jointly announce the launch of a project in the Republic of South Sudan: “Food Security, Emergency Flood Response and Recovery” implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
The National Platform for Peace and Reconciliation (NPPR) launched a peace campaign on 17 July in Juba in an effort aimed at putting an end to the current armed conflict in South Sudan under the theme “Re-Awakening a Common Call for Peace among South Sudanese”.
“We recommend an amendment to the Local Government Act 2009 and the Judiciary Act 2008 for the harmonization of customary and statutory law and alignment with the Constitution, and the regularization of the establishment of customary courts”, said a statement issued in Juba by traditional leaders and presented by Hon. Nekodemo Arouman, member of the Local Government Board, at the close of a two-day annual forum for traditional leaders held in Juba between 14 – 15 July.
The National Prisons Service of South Sudan on 7 July organized a meeting of rule of law institutions and stakeholders to discuss effective strategies for controlling overcrowding in prisons. The meeting was coordinated by UNDP.
The Republic of South Sudan on 18 June signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda for the deployment of Civil Service Support Officers (CSSOs). The MoU will pave way for the second phase of a capacity building project between South Sudan and the three countries.
A four-day training workshop for 32 public prosecutors on investigation, monitoring and reporting on human rights violations and treaty obligations opened on 1 June in Juba. Organized by the Ministry of Justice, and supported by UNDP in partnership with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the workshop draws participants from all 10 states of South Sudan.
Africa Day: UN Secretary General urges “While we work to break down the social, economic, environmental and cultural obstacles that women and girls face, let us also recognize the gains that have been made. Africa leads the world in female representation in Parliaments, and the continent has one of the highest rates of female entrepreneurship. Let us be inspired by these successes and intensify efforts to provide Africa’s women with better access to education, work and healthcare, and by doing so, accelerate Africa’s transformation. Let us also do more to end violence against women and girls while strengthening their role in all fields, including peacebuilding.”
UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator for Crisis Response, Izumi Nakamitsu, inaugurated today a forty-eight stall community market in Mingkaman, Lakes state.
The Juba College of Law was inaugurated on 11 April 2015, a result of joint efforts by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the governments of Norway and the United States, and most importantly, academics and key government ministries from South Sudan.
The United Nations Development programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning renewed their joint commitment towards peace and development by signing the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) that is to govern UNDP’s development activities for the next two years.
27 October, Juba - A two-week training session of 30 public prosecutors opened today at the Regency Hotel in Juba. The training forms part of UNDP South Sudan’s Access to Justice and Rule of Law support to the Ministry of Justice.
Trained Police Telephone Operators sitting at the Emergency Call Centre (ECC) have been busy responding to emergency calls received on 777— the toll free number, available 24 hours to the citizens of Juba. Sergeant Augustino Diringa, Operator at the ECC says that he and his team receive about 10-15 calls on various kinds of crimes, especially at night. The emergency calls received through the telephone network are immediately transmitted through VHF radios to the 777 vehicles deployed at each Police Division. Trained Police responders immediately swing into action to respond to the emergency. Monthly ECC Reports indicate that timely intervention by 777 responders to the reported cases on domestic violence saved several women on the spot. Since the Centre became operational starting 15 July this year, the 777 action has led to the recovery of stolen cars and motorcycles, arrest of suspects of armed robbery, apprehension of criminals involved in making fake currency notes, and arrest of drunken drivers. In addition, 777 troopers, 560 of whom were trained by UNDP, GIZ and SSNPS, have responded to several calls for medical emergencies involving pregnant women, cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence, traffic accidents and fire. “We were able to respond to 955 Emergency Calls in the last 45 days. It is good to see public trust increasing for the Police in the city,” says Major General Henry Danima, Commissioner of Central Equatoria State in South Sudan. Sergeant Fauzia Daud in the Munuki Police Station says, “The presence of 777 vehicles and the surveillance, especially at night, has helped to reduce crimes considerably notably theft, which was a common crime in Munuki.” The First Emergency Call Centre in Juba was established by the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) with support from the Government of Japan, UNDP, Ministry of Telecommunications, Juba City council, GIZ and all mobile service providers in South Sudan. It is an example of a partnership of Government with private actors and development partners to achieve spectacular results. Col. Felix Charles, Director at SSNPS IT department says, “The best part of the operation is that a person just needs to have a working mobile even without any balance or credit to access the ECC through any of the service providers. Hence it has been easy for the general public to call 777 during an emergency.” “The rate of response and the success has been tremendous,” says Col. James Monday, Director, SSNPS Public Relations and Spokesperson. “Poor road conditions, unnumbered and unnamed streets and roads are the main challenges being faced by the SSNPS in responding promptly to the emergency calls from the public”, says Col Jarves, Munuki Police Division Commander. However, with technical support from UNDP, the SSNPS is working with the Juba City Council for mapping, naming and numbering the roads and streets. UNDP Country Director Balazs Horvath states, “With the Emergency Call Centre in operation, the SSNPS is now more aware of the crime prone locations in Juba. This will help them focus more closely on those areas. UNDP is happy to be associated with this important project which has facilitated easy access to security services for the general public.” The violent crisis of mid-December 2013 created a trust deficit between the SSNPS and the public. Despite the limited number of vehicles available with the ECC, 777 responders have made their presence felt in the city through extensive patrolling and timely response round the clock. The increasing number of calls from the public, especially the vulnerable population is testimony of the fact that they feel empowered and confident to report crimes to the Police. The starting of the ECC has contributed significantly to improving safety and security in the city. The ECC is being funded by the Government of Japan and is implemented under UNDP’s Access to Justice and Rule of Law Programme, to support the nationally-led process of strengthening the country’s rule of law institutions.
The Report highlights the need for both promoting people’s choices and protecting human development achievements. It takes the view that vulnerability threatens human development and, unless it is systematically addressed, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable.
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As the humanitarian situation in South Sudan becomes ever more precarious, aid officials are confronting a reality in which short-term humanitarian needs have become top priority, and the risks and uncertainty of operating in the country have discouraged investment in longer-term development projects. Humanitarian officials are warning of an impending famine, which could be the worst in decades if farmers are unable to plant before seasonal rains because of violence. More than a million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations, and violence in the oil-rich northern states continues to escalate.
UNDP and UNMISS recently handed over a County Support Base (CSB) Portal to the State government in the presence of the community, customary authorities and local government of Gok Machar County in Northern Bahr El Ghazal, South Sudan.
The Ministry of Justice, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Access to Justice and Rule of Law Programme, is hosting a three-day legal aid consultative dialogue to strengthen the capacity of South Sudan’s rule of law institutions to deliver justice at the Asmara Hall, Juba Bridge hotel.
Aid agencies are preparing to scale up their work across South Sudan.
UNDP is the United Nations global development network advocating sustainable development and inclusive economic growth. We support South Sudan in building accountable, transparent state institutions to deliver services to the people. Our programme includes work in Poverty Reduction, Democratic Governance, and Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
This Annual Report highlights the key achievements of UNDP South Sudan in the year 2013 and also touches upon the violent conflict that erupted in mid-December 2013 after which UNDP developed a crisis response programme focused on peace and reconciliation, early recovery and governance. Following the outbreak of violence in December 2013, UNDP has adopted a flexible approach ensuring that programmes are designed to address the emerging needs of communities most affected by the violence; are conflict sensitive and are in keeping with the Secretary General’s Human Rights Due Diligence Policy.
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