RJMEC Chair,
Excellencies and distinguished guests,

I thank the RJMEC for the opportunity to speak here today.

Six weeks have passed since the decision to extend the transitional period was made. I urged the parties then to employ a sense of urgency in making good on the promises they made to the people of South Sudan. I also emphasized the importance of producing a clear, realistic, harmonized workplan for the next two years, which will go a significant way to restore confidence among citizens and the international community that the political leadership of this country is committed to implementing the outstanding provisions of the Peace Agreement and concluding the transition through peaceful and credible elections.

Excellencies,

To date, that realistic, harmonized timeline has not been forthcoming, and I would like to remind the parties that the clock is ticking. It won’t restart in February 2025, it is ticking as we speak here today. I note the various appeals for funds up front, including by the technical bodies, but let me emphasize that requests for external or international financing need to be backed up with demonstrable proof that national financial resources are being prioritized for long overdue steps and that the South Sudanese themselves are capable of displaying the political will necessary to conclude this project.

There are opportunities for quick wins that the parties must seize. We have identified a number of achievable benchmarks which we assess that with a sense of urgency, the parties can address by February 2025: (1) the deployment of the necessary unified forces (NUF) and agreeing the middle command structure of those forces, (2) civic education, (3) preparatory work towards voter registration, (4) amending the National Security Services Bill, (5) developing a code of conduct between political parties, but also, with civil society and the media, and, (6) developing the political and open space that civil society has been so insistent on. We also like to see clarity on responsibility-sharing on electoral security. These tasks have been under consideration for some time now and need decisions, not further delay.

On our part, we have decided to charge ahead and are expanding our assistance to the National Elections Commission beyond technical discussions and capacity building, and we are exploring packages of support, concrete brick and mortar, that combine hardware (such as state electoral offices) and software (such as capacity-building and training initiatives). We also have a significant amount of in-house electoral, political and law enforcement expertise to dedicate in this area of our mandate, including as it relates to electoral security issues. Let me add, to our offer, I know both the AU and IGAD will also contribute in making good this promise.

Yesterday, I met with President Kiir, we discussed the urgency that is necessary to make progress. President Kiir expressed support for out efforts and recommitted to accelerate implementation. I, therefore, urge the Government to reconvene the monthly Joint Task Force meetings with the UN, AU, IGAD and Troika to support the prioritization and resourcing of the constitution-making and electoral processes.

I acknowledge the validation of the report of the Judicial Reform Committee (JRC). The dispensation of justice is a critical step for any nation to be able to put its grievances to bed and to move forward united. I also take note of the meeting of the High-Level Standing Committee with President Ruto recently. We would be grateful to receive an update from the Government regarding the Tumaini Initiative.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Subnational violence remains a significant concern affecting civilians across South Sudan, as documented in our latest quarterly brief, which highlights a 43% increase in the number of violent incidents compared to the same period last year. Given the recent extension of the transitional period, it is vital that national, state and local authorities as well as communities and their leaders redouble their efforts to resolve longstanding conflict drivers through dialogue.

Humanitarians continue to respond to the ongoing flooding and, while the situation is less severe than initially feared, current forecasts project that up to 1.5 million people are likely to be impacted. Confirmed numbers of affected people have increased in the last week to approximately 1.3 million people, of whom 327,000 have been displaced. The Government has pledged $76 million towards flood response, and we encourage it to allocate these resources to mitigate the impact of the floods on its citizens.

Excellencies,

I will brief the Security Council on developments in South Sudan in November. Right now, there is limited progress to report on the implementation of the peace processes since the extension. The UN stands ready to support the Government to fulfill promises it has made to its people and to complete the transition. First though, its leaders must take the necessary decisions and take the actions which are required to show that they are ready to apply South Sudan’s resources in the name of peace. This is a critical requirement to ensure that South Sudan graduates out of its perpetual transitional period.

Thank you.