By Alan Clement
South Sudan’s fragile transition will not deliver genuine women’s inclusion unless enforceable gender reforms secure the 35 percent quota across political and peace institutions, an advocacy organization has warned.
In a 2025 Women Data Fact-sheet, the Centre for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice argued that the commitments enshrined in the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) have not translated into meaningful representation across most state institutions.
While the presidency has met the quota through the appointment of two female Vice Presidents, the Centre said this remains the exception rather than the rule.
“Decision-making power remains largely concentrated among male elites, with significant gaps persisting across parliament, the executive, security, and economic sectors,” the Centre noted, stressing that the quota must be backed by enforceable legal and institutional frameworks to move beyond symbolic compliance.
The analysis emphasized that women’s participation must be guaranteed across executive, legislative, and advisory bodies, as well as within transitional justice mechanisms, election preparations, and peace and security structures.
According to the Advocacy organization, the absence of women from these spaces weakens governance outcomes and undermines the sustainability of peace.
Despite years of mobilizing communities for peace, defending civic space, and advocating for human rights, South Sudanese women continue to face systemic barriers to formal power.
The fact-sheet identified entrenched gender norms, insecurity, political exclusion, and limited access to resources as key factors constraining women’s advancement into leadership positions.
It warned that failing to institutionalize the quota risks reversing hard-won gains made by women during the peace process. It argued that women’s exclusion from constitutional and electoral processes, in particular, threatens the credibility and inclusiveness of future political transitions.
Calling for gender-responsive reforms, the Centre urged that constitutional, electoral, and peace frameworks be deliberately designed to embed women’s participation as a non-negotiable standard rather than a discretionary commitment.
“Women’s engagement must be guaranteed across executive, legislative, and advisory bodies,” the report stressed, linking inclusive governance directly to democratic consolidation.
Beyond legal reforms, it recommended targeted leadership development, mentorship, and sustained resource support to strengthen women’s influence within political and civic institutions.
It further called on political parties to adopt gender-sensitive nomination processes and to publicly report on progress toward meeting the quota.
Civil society leaders quoted in the analysis argued that enforceable mechanisms are essential to ensure accountability. Without clear benchmarks and consequences for non-compliance, they warned, the 35 percent quota risks remaining an aspirational target rather than a lived reality.
The Centre concluded that sustained advocacy and strategic lobbying will be critical to monitor implementation and hold institutions accountable, noting that meaningful inclusion of women is not only a matter of rights but a prerequisite for lasting peace and effective governance in South Sudan.