South Sudan: UNMISS Chief's Briefing on Humanitarian & Security Issues | UN Security Council

Описание: Briefing by Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and head of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), on the situation in the region.

The Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Nicholas Haysom said that the humanitarian situation in the country “has reached alarming proportions, where two-thirds of the population is food insecure,” and “competing global priorities have negatively impacted international humanitarian assistance.”

Briefing the Security Council today (14 Dec) on the situation in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said, “with only 11 months remaining, the pace of overall implementation towards this objective has been uneven."

He added, “the Transitional Security Arrangements – as agreed to by the parties–remain significantly behind schedule. This is concerning because the Necessary Unified Forces are critical in providing a secure environment to protect civilians before, during and after elections.”

Haysom said, “With regard to the permanent constitution making process, it is now 15 months behind the timeline set out in the roadmap and Revitalised Agreement. The adoption of an amended constitution was agreed by the parties as a prerequisite for the finalisation of the electoral legal framework and the subsequent holding of elections.”

He added, “unfortunately, work on the amendment of the constitution has not properly started although the National Constitution Review Committee has been established.”

Haysom said, “the necessary conditions which must be met for these elections are identified in the Secretary General’s report and include: that a new ‘permanent’ constitutional framework be in place; that properly trained and equipped unified forces are deployed; that an operational election security plan has been formulated; a clear electoral framework be agreed upon; electoral institutions and mechanisms are in place; and voter registration modalities and electoral dispute resolution mechanisms are agreed through consensus.”

According to him, “the dire economic situation of the country and the resulting competition over diminishing resources at the subnational level, the influx of returnees from Sudan, climate shocks and a fragile political environment, suggests that elections in South Sudan would take place in an environment of elevated tensions.”

For her part, Cecilia Adeng, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Sudan, said, “South Sudan places a great importance on engaging with the Security Council, and we seek collaborative discussion and constructive support from the international community as we navigate the complex political, security, climate and humanitarian challenges.