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STORY: UN / SOUTH SUDAN
TRT: 03:22
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 14 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
2. Wide shot, Security Council, Nicholas Haysom on screen
3. Med shot, South Sudan Ambassador Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“A perfect storm is gathering in South Sudan as regards its humanitarian and economic outlook. This is reflected by a protracted humanitarian crisis founded on chronic food insecurity, a spill-over of the Sudan conflict into South Sudan resulting in the movement so far of 750,000 refugees and internally displaced people, uncertainties in the face of critical political events necessary for a peaceful transition, a rapidly deteriorating economy exacerbated by the rupture in critical oil infrastructure and oil revenue, and the potential for once in a lifetime flooding in September.”
5. Wide shot, Council, Haysom on screen
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“Time is running out, and the costs of inaction at this juncture are too great. Should the elements of the perfect storm converge it would stretch beyond the respective capacities of the United Nations and risk derailing the country's political transition. The implications for the broader East African region would be significant.”
7. Wide shot, Council, Haysom on screen
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Heavy rains since May, as well as the calculated release of water from Lake Victoria have led to increased Nile River levels, with floods so far impacting up to 300,000 people. At the peak of the flood season anticipated between September and October, flooding could impact up to 3.3 million people. This includes communities yet to recover from the devastating floods which occurred between 2019 and 2022, and which displaced more than one million people.”
9. Wide shot, Council, Charles Tai Gituai on screen
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Charles Tai Gituai, Interim Chairperson, Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC):
“In preparation for elections, the Political Parties Council has adopted a code of conduct and registered 29 political parties. But concerns exist regarding the procedures followed and the registration fees. The National Elections Commission has reconstituted as state level high committees. But there are still concerns about criteria used and gender representation.”
11. Tilt down, Council
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecilia A.M. Adeng, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, South Sudan:
“South Sudan remains steadfast in its commitment to the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan and the roadmap that extended our transitional period. While we have made significant strides, including the allocation of funds to the National Election Commission, the Political Parties Council, and the National Constitutional Review Commission, we recognise that benchmarks for holding the elections still need to be fully met. We are working diligently to address these challenges and reiterate our dedication to ensuring smooth and inclusive electoral process.”
13. Wide shot, end of Council session
The Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Nicholas Haysom, today (14 Aug) told the Security Council that “a perfect storm is gathering in South Sudan as regards its humanitarian and economic outlook,” and stressed that “time is running out, and the costs of inaction at this juncture are too great.”
Briefing the Council on the situation in the country, Haysom said, “this is reflected by a protracted humanitarian crisis founded on chronic food insecurity, a spill-over of the Sudan conflict into South Sudan resulting in the movement so far of 750,000 refugees and internally displaced people, uncertainties in the face of critical political events necessary for a peaceful transition, a rapidly deteriorating economy exacerbated by the rupture in critical oil infrastructure and oil revenue, and the potential for once in a lifetime flooding in September.”
He said, “should the elements of the perfect storm converge it would stretch beyond the respective capacities of the United Nations and risk derailing the country's political transition. The implications for the broader East African region would be significant.”
Haysom told the Council members that UNMISS continues to support the creation of an enabling environment for elections in South Sudan.
The Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Edem Wosornu, said “heavy rains since May, as well as the calculated release of water from Lake Victoria have led to increased Nile River levels, with floods so far impacting up to 300,000 people.
At the peak of the flood season, Wosornu said, “flooding could impact up to 3.3 million people. This includes communities yet to recover from the devastating floods which occurred between 2019 and 2022, and which displaced more than one million people.”
She told the Council that South Sudan is in the grips of a growing food insecurity crisis, a climate crisis, and an economic crisis, all while suffering the impact of the conflict in Sudan and dwindling financial support for the humanitarian response. However, underfunding continues to hamper an adequate response.
For his part, the Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), Retired Major General Charles Tai Gituai said, “in preparation for elections, the Political Parties Council has adopted a code of conduct and registered 29 political parties. But concerns exist regarding the procedures followed and the registration fees. The National Elections Commission has reconstituted as state level high committees. But there are still concerns about criteria used and gender representation.”
South Sudanese Ambassador Cecilia A.M. Adeng said, “while we have made significant strides, including the allocation of funds to the National Election Commission, the Political Parties Council, and the National Constitutional Review Commission, we recognise that benchmarks for holding the elections still need to be fully met. We are working diligently to address these challenges and reiterate our dedication to ensuring smooth and inclusive electoral process.”
The Council met to consider the Secretary-General's report on South Sudan.
