{"id":41326,"date":"2025-11-20T13:56:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T11:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=41326"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:56:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T11:56:31","slug":"international-partners-back-peace-urge-leaders-to-take-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/international-partners-back-peace-urge-leaders-to-take-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0 International Partners Back Peace, urge leaders to take Responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>By Alan Clement <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

South Sudan\u2019s leaders face mounting pressure to fast\u2011track the Revitalised Peace Agreement as the transition nears its end, with the Norwegian Ambassador warning delays could spark renewed conflict and imperil fragile stability.<\/p>\n

Norway\u2019s Ambassador to South Sudan, Roar Haugsdal, delivered a pointed message at the National Stakeholders\u2019 Dialogue in Juba. He urged political parties to act decisively before the opportunity slips away.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough is enough. South Sudan has already seen too much violence. It is time to turn the page,\u201d Haugsdal told stakeholders, cautioning that the country could slide back toward large-scale conflict unless parties recommit to dialogue, security arrangements, and full implementation of the peace deal.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that while the international community stands ready to support renewed political engagement, primary responsibility rests with national leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the transitional period nears its end, open and honest dialogue is not a choice but a necessity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Ambassador underscored the importance of civic space, stressing that peace is built not only at negotiation tables but in villages, churches, mosques, schools, cattle camps, and market stalls across South Sudan.<\/p>\n

He called on government leaders to protect the freedom of civil society actors, faith leaders, and the media so they can continue holding institutions accountable.<\/p>\n

Aligned with this warning, UN Women\u2019s Deputy Country Representative, Korto Williams, described the moment as existential for women\u2019s safety and participation in peacebuilding.<\/p>\n

She cited the UN Secretary-General\u2019s 2025 Women, Peace and Security (WPS) report, which revealed that 676 million women and girls now live within 50 km of deadly conflict; the highest number since the 1990s.<\/p>\n

The report also documented a dramatic 87 percent surge in conflict-related sexual violence between 2022 and 2024, alongside a quadrupling of civilian casualties affecting women and children.<\/p>\n

Despite decades of advocacy, women remain drastically underrepresented in peace processes, making up less than 10 percent of negotiators and only 8 percent of mediators worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are not just numbers; they are a call to action,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

She stressed that without meaningful women\u2019s participation at every level from national institutions down to Payam and Boma structures; South Sudan cannot build sustainable peace.<\/p>\n

Williams warned that a relapse into conflict would disproportionately harm women and girls, and insisted that peace must become a lived reality rooted in inclusivity, dignity, and resilience.<\/p>\n

Local civil society leaders echoed these concerns. Jackline Nasiwa, Executive Director of the Centre for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice, told the gathering that \u201conly 10 percent of the peace agreement has been implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reports from the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) confirm that many critical tasks remain unfulfilled, including security arrangements, political benchmarks, and judicial reforms. These delays risk destabilising progress as the transition deadline looms.<\/p>\n

Partner institutions, including UN Women and Norway, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting South Sudan\u2019s peacebuilding journey.<\/p>\n

Williams acknowledged government efforts particularly the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, as well as the Ministries of Peacebuilding and Youth and Sports for championing the Women, Peace and Security agenda.<\/p>\n

She also acknowledged significant donor support from the Norwegian government and the UN Peacebuilding Fund, even as resources diminish and needs increase.<\/p>\n

However, both Williams and Haugsdal made clear that while external backing is vital, it cannot substitute for political will.<\/p>\n

Haugsdal noted, \u201cThe courage of leaders to choose peace is more important than financial assistance.\u201d This was echoed by Williams who emphasized that, \u201cPeace must not remain a promise, but become a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0By Alan Clement South Sudan\u2019s leaders face mounting pressure to fast\u2011track the Revitalised Peace Agreement as the transition nears its end, with the Norwegian Ambassador warning delays could spark renewed conflict and imperil fragile stability. Norway\u2019s Ambassador to South Sudan, Roar Haugsdal, delivered a pointed message at the National Stakeholders\u2019[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":41327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Delegets.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41328,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41326\/revisions\/41328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}