I. Introduction
Following the independence of South Sudan on 9 July 2011, the Economic and Social Council, through its resolution 2011/43, expressed interest in working with partners in addressing the extensive humanitarian, peacebuilding and development challenges facing the country. The present report is the fifth on South Sudan submitted to the Council since the country’s independence.
The first report (E/2012/76) outlined the support of the United Nations system to the Government of South Sudan and the transition from emergency relief to development and building of local capacity after the country’s independence. The second report (E/2013/73) described the support to and implementation of development and peacebuilding frameworks by the United Nations system and the international community. The third report (E/2014/94) depicted how the outbreak of conflict on 15 December 2013 created a set of dire social, economic, humanitarian, political and security crises and reversed much of the progress made in the first two years of independence. The fourth report (E/2015/74) provided a review of the major developments since July 2014, with a focus on the continuing impact of the conflict on prospects for development.
The present report outlines the major developments that have occurred since the previous report to the Council was issued in July 2015. With the signing of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (Peace Agreement) in August 2015, the United Nations system has made efforts to support the implementation of the Peace Agreement. The United Nations system has enhanced its coordination to increase development efforts to bridge the humanitarian-development divide by bringing together all actors in order to reinforce complementarity, coherence and sustainable solutions and mitigate the impact of the conflict going forward. With the return of the opposition leader and first Vice-President, Riek Machar, to Juba on 26 April 2016 and the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity, that strategy will continue.