“...As Save the Children, we welcome any peaceful move, however small, that gives us hope that we shall finally have the space, support, and freedom to save the lives of vulnerable South Sudanese children.”
Juba – 28 April 2016: After nearly two and a half years of difficult peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-iO, a Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) has been formed.
As Save the Children, we welcome any peaceful move, however small, that gives us hope that we shall finally have the space, support, and freedom to save the lives of vulnerable South Sudanese children. But we are also very clear in our minds that the formation of the TGoNU is not an end in itself – it’s the beginning of hard work to reverse the physical and psychological injuries inflicted on millions of children.
In particular, we call upon the new TGoNU to honour the provisions of Chapter III, Clause 1.1 of the Compromise Peace Agreement in which the parties committed themselves to “...create an enabling political, administrative, operational, and legal environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection” to vulnerable children and their families.
Under Clause 1.2.2 of the same Chapter, the parties further committed themselves to “...offer special consideration to conflict-affected persons (children, orphans, women, widows, war wounded, etc.) in the provision of public services, including access to health and education...” We would also like to remind the parties that have now formed the TGoNU that under Article 1.10, they committed themselves unequivocally to ensure the “...immediate and unconditional release of all...child soldiers...who are under their command or influence...”
Overall, we think the formation of the TGoNU has given South Sudan a golden opportunity to put in place robust resilience measures to mitigate the risk of a return to violence. The resilience measures should include devotion of sufficient resources into children’s education, removing socio-cultural and economic barriers that still stand in the path of success for girls, and putting in place legal and political measures that will reward tolerance throughout South Sudan’s journey towards a vibrant democratic dispensation. The time is now for all of us to stand shoulder to shoulder with South Sudan. END
Pete Walsh
Country Director Save the Children South Sudan
To arrange interviews contact:
Charles O. Okwir, Media & Communications Manager: Email: Charles.Okwir@savethechildren.org Mobile: +211 954 396 338