ENTEBBE, UGANDA - "Security institutions that reflect the diversity of the communities they serve are stronger, more trusted, and more effective.”
That was the encouraging message from the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Political, Graham Maitland, at the opening of a Regional Benchmarking Exercise on Gender Mainstreaming and Inclusivity in the Organized Forces of South Sudan.
The initiative is much more than a workshop. It marks an important step towards the development of a National Gender Inclusivity Policy for the country’s organized forces, including the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces as well as prisons, police, wildlife and civil defense services.
The event was organized by the Government of South Sudan in partnership with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, UNDP, UN Women and UNESCO.
It enabled senior officials from the organized forces, government ministries, regional experts from Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, as well as UN partners to help advance a key aspect of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, particularly its commitment to women's participation in governance and public institutions, while promoting inclusive and gender-responsive security sector reform.
In his remarks, Mr. Maitland emphasized the importance of inclusive institutions in advancing peace, stability, and public confidence.
“Advancing women's participation within the security sector is not only a matter of representation, but also an investment in institutional effectiveness, accountability, and sustainable peace."
Mr. Maitland acknowledged the Government of South Sudan for taking practical steps towards strengthening gender inclusion and highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and peer learning in supporting institutional reform efforts.
UNMISS Head of Corrections and Officer-in-Charge of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Service, Abdul Arshad, described the benchmarking initiative as part of a broader national process aimed at transforming policy commitments into practical institutional reforms.
"This exercise is the first phase of a wider process that will culminate in the development and validation of a National Gender Inclusivity Policy for South Sudan's organized forces,” he explained.
“It provides an opportunity for senior leaders and policymakers to learn directly from regional experiences and identify practical measures that can strengthen women's participation and leadership across the security sector.”
Over the next three days, participants will engage on a diverse range of issues, including gender-responsive recruitment and promotion systems, institutional accountability mechanisms, leadership development, women's participation in decision-making, and gender policy implementation.
The programme also includes field visits to Ugandan institutions to provide participants with practical exposure to successful approaches to gender mainstreaming.
The intended outcome of the initiative is to strengthen women's meaningful participation within the organized forces and contribute to broader efforts to build professional, accountable, and inclusive security institutions capable of supporting long-term peace and stability.
