By Philip Buda Ladu
The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) on Thursday convened an orientation workshop for the Members of Council of States on the Revitalized Peace Agreement, its status of implementation and the functions of the Council of States.
Dr. Thomson Fontaine, the R-JMEC Chief of Staff-Strategy said the workshop marked the beginning of series of engagements between their two institutions both at technical and strategic levels on matters related to the implementation of the agreement.
“It is therefore important for you as national leaders to have a better and common understanding of the agreement to get positive and critical context-related questions surrounding the peace implementation and provide it with full support,” he told the Council of States’ Members at the opening session.
He said the parties have made some progress in the implementation of the agreement since it was signed in 2018 most notably in the areas of establishment of the structures of the R-TGoNU, however he noted that the process has been slow and the end of the agreement’s lifespan is fast approaching. `
R-JMEC is obligated under article 7.9 of the R-ARCSS to progress on the status of the implementation of the agreement followed by continuous briefing to the government, to the Council of Ministers, the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, the Chairperson of the various IGAD bodies, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council.
Deng Deng Akon, the Speaker of Council of States in his opening remarks at the workshop organized by R-JMEC said it is their plan that Council of States will continue to lobby with their partners in order to secure more capacity building program opportunities for members that would in turn sharpen their minds on variety of critical issues of concern.
R-JMEC is the body charged with monitoring, evaluating and overseeing the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) 2018 and its leadership include the; parties to the conflict, faith groups, youth, and women.
The topic of the workshop focused on the implementation of the R-ARCSS and the role of the Council of States in the implementation of the peace agreement.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Council of States noted that there is a need to acknowledge that the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement is facing some challenges that require more attention and deliberation for the speedy implementation of R-ARCSS.
He said the Council of States is mandated by the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011 as amended to tackle issues that are related to the R-ARCSS and that is to monitor the repatriation, relief, resettlement and reintegration of Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons for the reconstruction of disaster and conflict-affected areas.
I am confident that this workshop will empower the Members to acquire reasonable knowledge and skills that will enable them undertake their legislative oversight and legislation’s mandate efficiently and diligently.