10 December 2014 - South Sudanese leaders should take a strong stand against human rights abusers and let them know that impunity will not be tolerated, UNMISS chief Ellen Loej said today in Juba at a ceremony to celebrate International Human Rights Day.

“Despite multiple statements from the leaders of both sides to the conflict that perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses would be held to account, there have not been significant steps in the form of visible and transparent measures,” said Ms. Loej.

“Calls for accountability and justice for all the crimes committed during the December 2013 crisis need to be heeded if any peace process and efforts at national healing and reconciliation are to prove sustainable,” the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) added.

Ms. Loej decried the fact that South Sudanese were marking the fourth annual Human Rights Day since independence at a time of national crisis, yet rights had been at the heart of the struggle for the country’s independence.

“South Sudanese have witnessed a dramatic deterioration in the human rights situation since the political dispute escalated into an armed conflict almost one year ago,” she said. “(They) deserve the prospects of a better future than one condemned to repeating horrors of the past.”

Noting that the South Sudanese people deserved peace, security, development, and a culture of human rights, the UNMISS chief stressed that all these were not mutually exclusive.

“We all want to see a South Sudan that is safe and at peace with itself … that respects and protects the rights of all its citizens, the weak and the poor, old and young, irrespective of their ethnicity, gender or religious belief,” she said.

The SRSG also called for greater respect for women’s rights, including their participation in nation building,
Referring to this year’s theme, “Human Rights 365”, UNMISS Human Rights Director Ibrahim Wani stressed that the Day was a time for people everywhere to rededicate themselves to promoting all rights every day.

Mr. Wani noted that UNMISS has been committed to promoting and protecting human rights since its inception, rather than just over the last year.

“This has become ever more pertinent during that period,” he said. ““If we do not focus on human rights, the realization of peace and security will not be possible.”

UNMISS Deputy Police Commissioner Nair Itendra pledged that UN Police would continue to work in different human rights-related areas such as protection of civilians, community policing, sexual and gender-based violence and trust building.

“We must continue to coordinate with our partners to move forward to a place where the citizens of South Sudan can enjoy their rights, which are building blocks for a just and fair society,” he said.

The event concluded with performances from Orupaap, a musical group which sings songs about peace, reconciliation and human rights. For this year’s commemoration, Orupaap composed a special theme song, “Human Rights 365”.