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STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / POLITICAL PARTIES FORUM
TRT: 04:02
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 SEPTEMBER 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN / FILE
27 SEPTEMBER 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, Political Parties Forum
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative for South Sudan / Deputy Head – Political, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“With only 15 months left before the elections, by December 2024. we urge you and the parties to show the political will to reach a compromise in the spirit of consensus to advance the establishment of key institutions, specifically, the Political Parties Council, the National Constitutional Review Commission, and National Elections Commission.”
3. Various shots, Political Parties Forum
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Adwok Nyaba, South Sudanese Academic:
“The parties should encourage political education and enlightenment to raise social awareness and political consciousness of the people. It is the existence of political consciousness and politically conscious men that enables democratic government. If the people are not really conscious politically, you cannot talk of democratic governance, or you cannot talk of democracy.”
5. Various shots, Political Parties Forum
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elijah Osiro, Office of the Special Envoy for South Sudan, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD):
“More than one year since the roadmap was unveiled, it has been evident that the implementation has not moved at a pace that can be said to commensurate with this justification. Sadly, if this state of affairs continues, questions will honestly be raised on if the roadmap will deliver its end game, which is a peaceful and democratic end to the transition period of the R-ARCSS.”
FILE – SOUTH SUDAN
7. Various shots, Internally Displace People, cattle, streets
27 SEPTEMBER 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General / Head, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“An election cannot take place if you don't agree on those mechanics. The international community and the sense of urgency they have about the elections do not help. The urgency falls on the South Sudanese—the people, and in particular, the political parties—which is why we're going to appeal to you to work and help us in shaping and in understanding the nature of the elections you want to hold so that we can also mobilize support for it.”
9. Various shots, Political Parties Forum
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Guy Bennet, Head, Political Affairs Division, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“An election, ultimately, is a political process. It's the first one since independence. Engage. Listen to these political parties, listen to their manifestos, engage with them so that they make sure that the political parties represent the best interests of the people of South Sudan. This isn't a single event; this is hopefully one in a series of events that allows that space and allows that discussion so that different voices can be heard.”
11. Various shots, Political Parties Forum
With the first-ever elections in South Sudan slated for next December, the United Nations Mission in the country (UNMISS) supported a Political Parties Forum focused on the need to pick up the pace in the long-delayed democratic transition.
The forum was held in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, on Wednesday (27 Sep).
Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative for South Sudan, said, “With only 15 months left before the elections, by December 2024. we urge you and the parties to show the political will to reach a compromise in the spirit of consensus to advance the establishment of key institutions, specifically, the Political Parties Council, the National Constitutional Review Commission, and National Elections Commission.”
The way forward for South Sudan is heavily dependent on widespread public participation in peace processes, as well as a robust, competitive space for political parties.
Adwok Nyaba, a South Sudanese academic, said, “The parties should encourage political education and enlightenment to raise social awareness and political consciousness of the people. It is the existence of political consciousness and politically conscious men that enables democratic government. If the people are not really conscious politically, you cannot talk of democratic governance, or you cannot talk of democracy.”
With the clock ticking down, there is mounting pressure on South Sudan’s leaders from their citizens and the international community.
Elijah Osiro, from the Office of the Special Envoy for South Sudan of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), said, “More than one year since the roadmap was unveiled, it has been evident that the implementation has not moved at a pace which can be said to commensurate with this justification. Sadly, if this state of affairs continues, questions will honestly be raised on if the roadmap will deliver its end game, which is a peaceful and democratic end to the transition period of the R-ARCSS.”
Despite the formidable challenges that are being faced by the country, galvanizing momentum in building a stable future remains non-negotiable.
Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of UNMISS, said, “An election cannot take place if you don't agree on those mechanics. The international community and the sense of urgency they have about the elections do not help. The urgency falls on the South Sudanese—the people, and in particular, the political parties—which is why we're going to appeal to you to work and help us in shaping and in understanding the nature of the elections you want to hold so that we can also mobilize support for it.”
For its part, UNMISS’ goal while organizing such events is to create a culture of robust discourse, solve outstanding issues, and build trust among political players and the communities they serve.
Guy Bennet, Head of the UNMISS Political Affairs Division, said, “An election, ultimately, is a political process. It's the first one since independence. Engage. Listen to these political parties, listen to their manifestos, engage with them so that they make sure that the political parties represent the best interests of the people of South Sudan. This isn't a single event; this is hopefully one in a series of events that allows that space and allows that discussion so that different voices can be heard.”
