South Sudan women participation in governance has ‘sharply improved’ since 2019, says CEPO

JUBA – The participation of South Sudanese women in governance has sharply improved since the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in 2018, Juba-based advocacy group, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said in a statement Monday.

The revitalized peace agreement allocates at least 35 percent of government positions to women at all levels of governance. Although that number has not been respected, the CEPO said in a statement that women participation has improved since 2019.

“The participation of women in all levels of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity is effective in comparison to the participation of the women from 2013 till 2018. The role of women in government from 2019 has sharply improved,” the CEPO said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

“Among the realized improvements are influencing decision making for the best interest of the public; setting public agenda that is gender sensitive and bringing the voices of the community into the business of the government,” the group added.

The statement said that “enforcement of the affirmative action of 35% for women has motivated women for participation in politics and public life.” The CEPO statement added that the advocacy group “is impressed by the role current women leaders in the national and state governments are playing although still more effectiveness is required from them.”

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of the CEPO, said “improving women participation in public life and politics is of great importance for the society. Women has contributed equally in the struggle for the independent state of South Sudan in all forms.”

“Therefore undermining the role of women in public offices and politics will be clear gender discrimination. The presence of women leaders as Right Honorable Speakers, First Rt. Honorable Deputy Speaker, Hon. Minister of Defense; Women chairing and deputizing national legislative assembly outstanding committees on General Education and Instruction; Environment and forestry and Labour.

“While in the council of states committees on Information and Communication and Gender, Youth and Sports including other national ministers, undersecretaries, state governors and deputy governors is instrumental.

“The implementation of the affirmative action of 35% for women under the R-ARCSS has increased mobilization of women to join politics and this offers great opportunity for building women effective participation in political leadership and secondly it offers an opportunity of mobilizing young to join politics.

“This political achievement around women participation is requires to be translated in influencing promotion of women in technical posts of the government institutions.

“CEPO is impressed that our advocacy and lobby for genuine implementation of the affirmative action of 35% for women have created good results although with some shortcomings in some of the states with the support of UNWOMEN.

“The great challenge for the women in various leadership positions is their access to the population of the women across the country at rural and urban set ups for generating evidences for driving an public interest agenda.

“Finally, CEPO is planning for organization of the first states speakers’ forum conference in Juba in July, 2022.”