By William Madouk Garang
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the Revitalized Agreement is a crucial political agenda for constant peace and urged the partners to do more.
Lacroix’s four-day visit to South Sudan will enable him meet with key political interlocutors, the UN family, civil societies, the diplomats and donor communities.
His visit comes in the wake of a recent agreement on the roadmap by partners to push forward the remaining provisions contained in the 2018 peace deal, as the country struggles to deliver the peace after the wreckage brought by repeated civil wars.
“There have been positive steps forward in the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, but much more needs to be done,” stated Lacroix.
“We are here to encourage further progress in the implementation of the peace deal because it is the political framework which offers hope for South Sudan to achieve more stability,” he added.
Mr. Lacroix began his day with a briefing on the current state of play by senior leaders from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), including its support for a robust, competitive political process leading to free, fair and credible elections that will mark an end to the country’s extended transitional period.
This was followed by interactions with humanitarian partners and the donor community, given the rising humanitarian needs at a time of greatly reduced donor funding.
USG Lacroix stressed the need for shoring up recovery, resilience, and expressed hope that, with continued support from international friends, future generations can look forward to brighter, more prosperous lives.
“It’s important to try our very best so that the people of South Sudan can receive the humanitarian assistance that they need at this juncture,” he said.
“This is challenging because the world is, unfortunately, affected by many humanitarian crises; therefore, one of the goals of this visit is to learn from our partners what we can do to continue directing the international community’s attention towards South Sudan,” he explained.
Climate shocks have exacerbated the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan as the country grapples with some of the worst flooding in nearly a century.