By Alan Clement
African Union leaders have intensified pressure on South Sudan to accelerate Women, Peace and Security commitments, warning that policy delays undermine fragile peacebuilding and risk reversing hard-won gains across conflict-affected states.
The country came under renewed regional scrutiny following the adoption of the Tunis Declaration at the 6th High-Level Africa Forum on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), held this month.
The communique, issued by AU leaders, called on member states to “accelerate ratification and implementation of the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG), ensure enforcement of existing laws, and integrate WPS into national development, peace, and climate policies.”
The declaration highlighted persistent gaps between policy adoption and action in fragile states, with South Sudan singled out as a country where delays in implementation threaten the sustainability of peace efforts.
Marking 25 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the Tunis Declaration underscores Africa’s leadership in advancing the WPS agenda but warns of rising challenges.
It stated that “AU Member States must accelerate ratification and implementation of AU CEVAWG, ensure enforcement of existing laws, and integrate WPS into national development, peace, and climate policies as well as adopting, resourcing and implementing National Action Plans.”
South Sudan, which has adopted a National Action Plan on WPS, was urged to strengthen enforcement and accountability mechanisms to ensure women’s participation in peacebuilding and governance.
The communique acknowledged that while 37 African countries have adopted National Action Plans, implementation remains uneven.
In South Sudan, women continue to face exclusion from formal peace processes and decision-making structures. The declaration warned that “continued underrepresentation of women and young women in formal peace mediation processes” undermines inclusive peacebuilding.
It further noted that “persistent poverty and economic marginalization, which disproportionately affect women and girls, limit their participation in peacebuilding, and exacerbate vulnerabilities in conflict, displacement, and climate-affected contexts.”
A major theme of the Tunis Declaration is financing, with leaders calling for “predictable, long-term financing for NAPs, Continental Results Framework (CRF) reporting, and national gender machineries,” stressing that without resources, commitments risk remaining symbolic.
South Sudan, heavily reliant on donor support, is urged to adopt gender-responsive budgeting and mobilize domestic resources to sustain WPS programming.
The communique emphasized that “strengthened financing for women-led organizations, grassroots networks, and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence” is essential to advancing the agenda.
The declaration reinforced the principle that women must be recognized “as agents shaping peace and security, not victims.” It committed to expanding leadership, mediation, and negotiation roles for women at all levels, including through FemWise-Africa and the African Women Leaders Network.
For South Sudan, this means ensuring women’s representation in peace negotiations, governance reforms, and community-level decision-making. The communique calls for “institutionalized annual high-level engagements to monitor progress and sustain continental momentum.”
The Tunis Declaration also highlights emerging threats that disproportionately affect women, including climate-security, violent extremism, digital violence, and displacement. It urges member states to integrate these risks into WPS programming.
South Sudan, facing recurring climate shocks and displacement crises, is expected to align its policies with these continental priorities.
The communique stressed the need to “integrate and address emerging threats and risks, including climate-security, humanitarian action, violent extremism, digital and cybersecurity, online violence, conflict over natural resources, and displacement into WPS policy and programming.”
The declaration pledged to sustain WPS as a continental priority, in line with AU Decision 933 on the Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa.
It committed to “strengthen preventive diplomacy for peace building” and ensure WPS principles are integrated into AU summit themes, peace and security deliberations, and governance reforms.
For South Sudan, this places additional pressure to embed WPS commitments into its fragile peace process and political transition.
The communique concluded with a firm pledge: “We, the participants of the 6th High-Level Africa Forum on WPS, commit to fully realizing the agenda over the next decade by mobilizing political will, financial resources, and collective action to accelerate implementation.”
South Sudan is expected to respond by strengthening its National Action Plan, ensuring enforcement of laws protecting women, and expanding women’s participation in peacebuilding and governance.
The Tunis Declaration represents a renewed continental push to safeguard women’s rights and leadership in peace and security.
The message is clear for South Sudan: accelerate implementation, close the gap between policy and practice, and ensure women are at the center of peacebuilding.
Failure to act, AU leaders warned, risks undermining fragile peace efforts and reversing gains made over the past 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.