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STORY: UN / SUDAN
TRT: 4:44
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 8 DECEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY
FILE
1.Exterior shot, national flags at the UN Headquarters
8 DECEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY
2.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary Anne DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“Despite the progress observed, political forces are increasingly fragmented. Disagreements have surfaced particularly over the mandate and functions of the Council of Partners that was established on 1 December. Key political stakeholders expressed concern that the nominally advisory and coordination body may have been given additional powers that would undermine those of other transitional institutions.”
4.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary Anne DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“19 December will mark the second anniversary of the revolution in Sudan. Demonstrations continue to occur intermittently across the country because of the economic crisis, demands for government reform and rejection of the amendments to the Constitutional Document. Some have been accompanied by loss of life and injuries. The COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the humanitarian needs, also driven by severe flooding, intercommunal violence and prolonged displacement. In recent weeks, over 48,000 people have fled the Ethiopian conflict in the Tigray region and have sought refuge in Sudan. This has put an additional strain on the Sudanese authorities.”
6.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
7.SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary Anne DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“It is critical that the international community continue supporting Sudan’s economic recovery through funding of the basic income cash transfer programme known as the “Family Support Programme,” intended to mitigate the social impact of the transitional Government’s economic reform agenda.”
8.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary Anne DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“The Transitional Government has underscored the need for UNITAMS to have a light footprint, and this is how the mission has been configured. The mission will focus on the four objectives outlined in Resolution 2524: assist the political transition; support peace processes; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and the rule of law; and support the mobilization of economic, development and humanitarian assistance. It will provide good offices, technical support and capacity building, and will leverage the work of the United Nations country team.”
10.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
11.SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“During the reporting period, Darfur has seen a spike in clashes involving the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid elements as well as in inter-communal violence. Attacks against IDPs, civilians and protesters have also continued throughout the year. This reflects trends related to seasonal migration but also anxiety and uncertainty among the Darfuri constituencies about the ongoing transition at the national and state level.”
12.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
13.SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“Notwithstanding these challenges, there is a real opportunity to end the decades-long conflict in Darfur through the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement. The immediate peace dividends, the permanent ceasefire and the deployment of the joint security-keeping forces, will change the dynamics on the ground and enhance the ongoing Government efforts to gain the confidence of the local communities. This will be the critical area for the UN and other international partners to further consider optimal modalities for support, in discussion with the parties.”
14.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
15.SOUNDBITE (English) Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations:
“There are some residual challenges in Sudan in general and in Darfur, in particular and my government assures the Council that it will work closely with UNITAMS and other bilateral, regional and international partners to effectively address these challenges. We call on the Security Council to support the work UNITAMS as it commences its mandate on January 1 next year, particularly in reaching the consensus on the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary General, and support his program’s funding. For its part Sudan shall support UNITAMS in order to implement the strategic objectives as mandated by the Council.”
16.Multiscreen, Security Council in virtual meeting
Top UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding officials briefed the Security Council on the situation in Sudan, as the UN is winding down its peacekeeping mission in Darfur and at the same time preparing to launch an Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan on 1 January 2021.
Briefing the Council via videolink on Tuesday, Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs reported on the Sudan’s progress in democratic transition, quoting the signing the Juba Peace Agreement on 3 October and the subsequent amending of the Constitutional Document on 2 November.
However, she also reported that the political forces “are increasingly fragmented.”
“Disagreements have surfaced particularly over the mandate and functions of the Council of Partners that was established on 1 December. Key political stakeholders expressed concern that the nominally advisory and coordination body may have been given additional powers that would undermine those of other transitional institutions,” she said.
COVID19 pandemic, severe flooding and influx of over 48 000 refugees from Ethiopia have strain on the Sudanese authorities and increased humanitarian needs, DiCarlo reported.
“19 December will mark the second anniversary of the revolution in Sudan. Demonstrations continue to occur intermittently across the country because of the economic crisis, demands for government reform and rejection of the amendments to the Constitutional Document,” she said.
She said, “it is critical that the international community continue supporting Sudan’s economic recovery through funding of the basic income cash transfer programme known as the “Family Support Programme,” intended to mitigate the social impact of the transitional Government’s economic reform agenda.”
On 3 June, this year the Security Council adopted resolution 2524 to establish the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), to complement the ongoing work of the UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes on the ground and work closely with the Sudanese Transitional Government and people of Sudan in support of the transition.
“The Transitional Government has underscored the need for UNITAMS to have a light footprint, and this is how the mission has been configured,” said DiCarlo. “The mission will focus on the four objectives outlined in Resolution 2524: assist the political transition; support peace processes; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and the rule of law; and support the mobilization of economic, development and humanitarian assistance. It will provide good offices, technical support and capacity building, and will leverage the work of the United Nations country team.”
UNITAMS will assist the transitional government in meeting the political benchmarks of the Constitutional Declaration which sets out a range of critical tasks for the transition period including governance and institutional reform, constituting making and elections. The mission will also support implementation of peace agreements in conflict affected areas, as required; assist in national-led peacebuilding efforts, strengthening of human rights and rule of law institutions, and a scale-up of support to recovery and development to build resilience and mitigate protection risks.
On 31 December, on the eve of the launch of UNITAMS, the The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) a 13-year-old peacekeeping mission charged with the protection of civilians in that restive part of Sudan will stop its operations.
Reporting on the situation in Darfur, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations sad “during the reporting period, Darfur has seen a spike in clashes involving the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid elements as well as in inter-communal violence. Attacks against IDPs, civilians and protesters have also continued throughout the year. This reflects trends related to seasonal migration but also anxiety and uncertainty among the Darfuri constituencies about the ongoing transition at the national and state level.”
Lacroix said that the withdrawal of UNAMID, including the repatriation of staff, troops and police is expected to take some six months and he outlined a several critical issues, such as clarifying the expectations and roles of UNAMID and the government during drawdown period, sustaining gains in peacebuilding in transition from UNAMID to UNITAMS and the need for the Sudanese Government to provide concrete support in the drawdown process, including the identification of feasible and viable civilian end-users for the team sites and a robust security plan to prevent looting and other incidents.”
“Notwithstanding these challenges, there is a real opportunity to end the decades-long conflict in Darfur through the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement. The immediate peace dividends, the permanent ceasefire and the deployment of the joint security-keeping forces, will change the dynamics on the ground and enhance the ongoing Government efforts to gain the confidence of the local communities. This will be the critical area for the UN and other international partners to further consider optimal modalities for support, in discussion with the parties.,” Lacroix said.
Also speaking at the meeting, Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the UN said “there are some residual challenges in Sudan in general and in Darfur, in particular and my government assures the Council that it will work closely with UNITAMS and other bilateral, regional and international partners to effectively address these challenges. We call on the Security Council to support the work UNITAMS as it commences its mandate on January 1 next year, particularly in reaching the consensus on the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary General, and support his program’s funding. For its part Sudan shall support UNITAMS in order to implement the strategic objectives as mandated by the Council.”
UNITAMS is also mandated to facilitate international support to economic reform that will help set the country on a path to economic recovery and sustainable development.
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