Twenty women who represent civil society across South Sudan gathered for the National Women Peace Forum to review the status of implementation of recommendations from the last year and to discuss and agree on their common concerns for peace and security in South Sudan in the context of implementation of recommendations made in 2014 on UNSCR 1325 Women Peace and Security.

The event was supported by UNMISS in partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women) as well as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and was held as a culmination of sixteen sub-national Women Peace Forums across the country reaching out over seven hundred women in total. In addition to the representatives from the UN agencies, civil society and media, a representative from the Embassy of the United Kingdom was present in the Opening Session.

It is part of the global initiative by the United Nations called Global Open Days for the implementation of UNSCR1325 Women Peace and Security to listen to and understand perspectives of women from civil society on women peace and security and convey them to the Security Council through good offices of United Nations’ Secretary-General. Since its onset in 2010, the initiative has reached over some countries that have undergone conflicts and peace-building processes.

In his Opening Remarks at the event, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. Eugene Owusu welcomed the opportunity of National Forum to understand where we are coming from in order to determine in which way we want to go in terms of the empowerment of women of South Sudan. He acknowledged that women of South Sudan have suffered for too long and desire for peace and development and called for their full participation in all aspects of the peace agreement, their voices are heard and their concerns are taken into consideration.
 
The participants benefitted immensely from the presentation on gender analysis of peace agreement and UNSCR 1325 by Dr. Izeduwa Derex-Briggs, Country Representative of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. Dr. Derex-Briggs highlighted many positive elements of the peace agreement and encouraged women to work together and forward their perspectives.

After intensive discussion and consultation processes, women adopted this year’s final report as Peace and Justice for Women. The report summarizes achievements since 2014, opportunities: and challenges in the implementation of women, peace and security agendas. The final report contains twenty three recommendations in total focusing on Participation and Peace-Making, Prevention of Violence and Women’s Human Security: and Protection and Access to Justice.

On 22nd April 2016 Friday, the women delegates met the SRSG in her conference room at the UN House. Ms. Sarah Abeja, who was selected by the other women delegates to be their representative, presented the recommendations to SRSG. SRSG warmly welcomed the women delegates to her conference room and emphasized the importance of equal opportunities in education for girls and their positive effects on family, community and society. She also highlighted the importance of peace and security for women to be able to enjoy equal participation in civic and political arenas.

In concluding, SRSG indicated the importance of bottom-up approach applied in Women Peace Forums: and agreed to review the report with a view to forward recommendations.