7 July 2014 - The ongoing crisis in South Sudan was “such a watershed moment” that it was easy to forget all that UNMISS had achieved before its onset, outgoing Mission Chief Hilde F. Johnson said in Juba today.

Speaking at a farewell ceremony organized by UNMISS staff to honour her, Ms. Johnson listed capacity building, conflict resolution, human rights reporting and reform of the South Sudan National Police Service as some of the Mission’s signal achievements.

“Signing an agreement between (former militia leader) David Yau Yau and the government would also never have happened without UNMISS support,” she said “But it is always an unthankful thing to succeed… No one notices. No one writes those success stories.”

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) commended UNMISS staff for their role in assisting civilians seeking shelter at its bases across the country.

“The fact that they run to us and the fact that they remain is a testimony to the work of the UN,” she said. “We would never have managed without the resilience of staff and their ability to put up with a host of challenges.”

Ms. Johnson, who leaves the country tomorrow, said she would miss not only the resilient South Sudanese people, but also Mission and UN Country Team staff, who were “party to a real protection-of-civilians legacy”.

“We worked around the clock and joined hands in a way that has not happened before,” she said. “With our humanitarian partners, including the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), working on our bases, saving lives was most important.”

The SRSG paid special tribute to staff in the Unity State capital Bentiu, the Upper Nile State capital Malakal and the Jonglei State capital Bor, who were living in “incredibly challenging conditions”.

She also pointed out that national staff had been hit harder by the crisis than anyone else, losing family members as they watched their country return to the brink of war. She emphasized that despite these challenges, it was vital to maintain the UN principles of neutrality and impartiality.

Safety and security had improved, she said, but violations of the Status of Forces Agreement with the national government were still occurring. She called on her yet-to-be-announced successor to continue to work with the government to address this.

Staff representatives praised the SRSG for her role in implementing the UNMISS mandate during her three-year tenure and the leadership she showed throughout the crisis.

“As Minister of International Development in the Royal Norwegian government, she was a signatory to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),” said National Staff Association president Bennett Kenyi. “Without her efforts, there would have been no CPA, no referendum and no independence. This should be clear to all South Sudanese.”

Ms. Johnson is expected to meet with President Salva Kiir and the diplomatic community in her final hours as SRSG.