2-year extension should not be regarded as a holiday break, UN envoy tells leaders

JUBA – The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General to South Sudan and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan Nicolas Haysom has urged leaders in the world’s youngest country to go to work and expedite the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement saying the two-year extension should not be regarded as a holiday break.

The UN diplomat was making the remarks during the 1123^rd meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa on Wednesday where he also stressed that the implementation process of the 2018 peace agreement’s extension roadmap requires funding and appealed to the government in Juba to allocate enough resources to carry it ahead.

“Implementation of the Roadmap requires funding. We encourage the Transitional Government to allocate the necessary resources and UNMISS continues to remind the parties that further donor support, in particular, will be contingent upon their making effective and timely implementation of the benchmarks,” Haysom said.

The top UN envoy to the country further stressed the need for the leaders in South Sudan to start the preparations for the general elections slated for December 2024 and acknowledged the completion of the review, by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC), of the National Elections Act.

“On that note, UNMISS is mindful that preparations for elections need to start soon. The National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) has completed its review of the National Elections Act. This is the first step in providing the legal basis for the reconstitution of the National Elections Commission (NEC) which will be the sole custodian for all electoral processes,” he said.

“While I applaud progress of the NCAC in considering this Act, I note that the issue of implementation of quotas of women, youth and persons with disabilities has been left unsettled. I urge a compromise solution so that this legislation can be finalized,” he added.

Haysom further urged the leaders to work hard to meet the deadlines and said the two-year extension of the transitional period should not be considered a holiday break and highlighted the consequences in missing the deadlines.

“Further to this, I note with concern that deadlines related to the Political Parties Council, the Reconstituted National Constitutional Review Commission (RNCRC), and establishment of the Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) have been missed,” he said.