Joint Statement by the South Sudan Women, Peace, and Security Group
Date:
Co-chaired by the Embassies of the UK and Canada, facilitated by UN Women
During this critically important year for the people of South Sudan, the Women, Peace, and Security Working Group in South Sudan calls upon the transitional government to meet the social and economic needs of women and girls and ensure their full inclusion in South Sudanese society. This includes the transitional government acting urgently to take all necessary steps to hold credible and peaceful elections in December in which women fully participate. The transitional government must also use public resources to meet its primary responsibilities, which are the security and well-being of the South Sudanese people.
Women and girls in South Sudan face disproportionate challenges. Pervasive negative social and cultural norms, gender-based violence, and barriers to socio-economic empowerment continue to hinder progress towards genuine gender equality. These issues also obstruct women’s ability to participate in political processes fully, and their participation is a fundamental building block for healthy democracies. The full participation of women in electoral and political processes, including as government decision-makers, strengthens institutions and creates fairer systems. This should include concerted efforts to reduce socio-economic barriers for women and girls, and to honor the pledge for the 35 percent quota for women in all transitional governmental institutions.
We call on the transitional government to address the broader challenges hampering women’s economic and political participation. This includes ensuring that an Anti-Gender Based Violence Bill in line with international standards is enacted by parliament and implemented in full to ensure that women are protected against violence, including in the lead-up to elections. The Women Enterprise Fund Bill, a critical provision in the Peace Agreement to enhance women’s economic empowerment and reduce their vulnerability to GBV should be passed. The transitional government should also prioritize the launch and implementation of South Sudan’s second National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security and the implementation of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), as well as renew the Action Plan for the Armed Forces on Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in South Sudan, to signal their genuine commitment to promoting the social, economic, and political rights of women and girls in South Sudan.
Following the celebration of International Women’s Day, we call for swift action to advance gender equality in South Sudan—including through efforts to prioritize the delivery of key services for women, and the prioritization of women’s economic and political inclusion and participation.
Signed:
1. British Embassy Juba
2. CARE International (Civil society observer to the WPS Working Group)
3. Delegation of the European Union to South Sudan
4. Embassy of Canada to South Sudan
5. Embassy of Sweden Office in South Sudan
6. Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in South Sudan
7. Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in South Sudan
8. Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Sudan
9. Swiss Cooperation Office in Juba
10. Titi Foundation (Civil society observer to the WPS Working Group)
11. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
12. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
13. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
14. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
15. United States Embassy in South Sudan
16. Embassy of France in South Sudan (friend of WPS Working Group)