Security Council

6800^th Meeting (PM)

Security Council Grants One-year Mandate Extension

 

for United Nations Mission in South Sudan

 

Resolution 2057 (2012) Stresses Peace with Sudan, Protection of Civilians

Underscoring its commitment to seeing the world’s newest State become economically prosperous and living side by side with Sudan in peace and security, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, through 15 July 2013.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2057 (2012), almost one year to the day of the first anniversary of South Sudan’s declaration of independence, the Council kept the mandate unchanged, underlining the priorities of protecting civilians through a strategy entailing early warning and response, and, pending the establishment of formal monitoring mechanisms, reporting on any flows of personnel, arms and related material across the border with Sudan.

The Council called on UNMISS to participate in regional coordination, including with other United Nations missions in the area, to stem the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).  It also underlined the importance of the Mission’s implementation of its peacebuilding tasks, especially security-sector reform, support for the justice sector, building human rights capacity, state-building, early recovery and development.

Calling upon the Government to take greater responsibility for civilian protection, and on UNMISS to help build capacity for that purpose, the Council encouraged the greatest possible co-location of appropriate Mission components with South Sudanese counterparts.  In addition to ensuring the freedom of movement and safety of Mission personnel, it called on the Government to further empower women to participate in national efforts, to hold all perpetrators of human rights violations to account, and to implement fully the demobilization programme for ex-combatants.

Requesting continuous updates on the deployment of all Mission elements, the Council noted with concern the Mission’s critical need for military helicopters, calling on Member States to redouble their efforts to fill that gap.  It also expressed deep concern about the loss of hundreds of lives, the abduction of women and children, and large-scale displacement due to intercommunal violence in Jonglei State during several flare-ups in the past year.  It underlined the need to heed the recommendations of the resulting peace conference and UNMISS human rights reports, and to conduct an impartial investigation.

Francis George Nazario ( South Sudan) expressed gratitude for the mandate renewal and for the Council’s continued attention at the present important early stage of the State’s development.  He also thanked all those who had contributed to the Mission, pledging his country’s full commitment to guaranteeing the safety and free movement of all United Nations personnel.

He said there had been some progress in establishing institutions and extending the Government’s administration, but much more needed to be done to build the State and all its capacities.  The protection of civilians was the highest priority on the Government’s agenda, he said, acknowledging the importance of putting neighbourly relations with Sudan on a solid footing.

In regard to South Sudan’s decision to halve its oil output, he said it had been taken because shipments were being seized illegally and payments withheld.  The decision had been intended to ensure a just outcome, he said, reaffirming South Sudan’s intention to resolve peacefully all outstanding issues relating to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan’s North-South civil war.

The meeting began at 3:08 p.m. and ended at 3:17 p.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 2057 (2012) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its previous resolutions 1996 (2011) and 2046 (2012),

“Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of the Republic of South Sudan,

“Welcoming the establishment of government institutions and the National Legislative Assembly by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, and further welcoming the enactment of national legislation, including the Political Parties Act,

“Taking note of the Financial Management Act, as well as President Salva Kiir’s legislative programme to combat corruption, and underscoring the need for the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to take further steps to address corruption,

“Deeply committed to seeing South Sudan become an economically prosperous state living side by side with Sudan in peace, security, and stability,

“Underscoring the need for coherent UN activities in the Republic of South Sudan, which requires clarity about roles, responsibilities, and collaboration between UNMISS and the UN country team based on their comparative advantage, and noting the need for cooperation with other relevant actors in the region, including the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO),

“Underscoring the need for forging stronger and well-defined partnerships among the United Nations, development agencies, bilateral partners, and other relevant actors, regional and subregional institutions and the international financial institutions, to implement national strategies aimed at effective institution building which are based on national ownership, the achievement of results, and mutual accountability,

“Deploring the persistence of conflict and violence and its effect on civilians, including the killing and displacement of significant numbers of civilians, and noting the importance of sustained cooperation and dialogue with civil society in the context of stabilizing the security situation and ensuring the protection of civilians,

“Recalling the presidential statement of 11 February 2011 that affirmed that national ownership and national responsibility are key to establishing sustainable peace and the primary responsibility of national authorities in identifying their priorities and strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding,

“Stressing the need for a comprehensive, integrated and prioritized approach to peace consolidation that strengthens coherence between political, security, development, human rights, and rule of law activities, and addresses the underlying causes of conflict, and underlining that security and development are closely interlinked and mutually reinforcing and key to attaining sustainable peace,

“Expressing deep concern at the humanitarian situation in South Sudan caused by heightened insecurity along the Sudan/South Sudan border region and the conflict in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States, as well as intercommunal violence and widespread food insecurity, and expressing concern at restrictions placed upon the movement of UNMISS in certain areas,

“Recalling previous statements on post-conflict peacebuilding, stressing the importance of institution-building as a critical component of peacebuilding, and emphasizing a more effective and coherent national and international response to enable countries emerging from conflict to deliver core government functions, including managing political disputes peacefully, and making use of existing national capacities in order to ensure national ownership of this process,

“Emphasizing the vital role of the United Nations to support national authorities, in close consultation with international partners, to consolidate the peace and prevent a return to violence and therefore to develop an early strategy in support of national peacebuilding priorities, including establishment of core government functions, provision of basic services, establishment of the rule of law, respect for human rights, management of natural resources, development of the security sector, tackling youth unemployment, and revitalization of the economy,

“Recognizing the importance of supporting peacebuilding efforts in order to lay the foundation for sustainable development, and, in this context, noting with grave concern the potential impact of the austerity budget on such peacebuilding efforts, while also noting the measures taken by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to balance revenues and expenditures, and underscoring the important role oil revenue could play in the economy of South Sudan,

“Recognizing the need to broaden and deepen the pool of available civilian experts, especially women and experts from developing countries, to help develop national capacity, and encouraging Member States, the United Nations and other partners to strengthen cooperation and coordination to ensure that relevant expertise is mobilized to support the peacebuilding needs of the Government and people of the Republic of South Sudan,

“Recalling its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011), and presidential statements of 29 April 2009 (S/PRST/2009/9) and 16 June 2010 (S/PRST/2010/10) on children and armed conflict, and taking note of the reports of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan dated 10 February 2009 (S/2009/84), 29 August 2007 (S/2007/520), and 5 July 2011 (S/2011/413), and the conclusions endorsed by the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in the Sudan (S/AC.51/2009/5),

“Reaffirming its resolutions 1674 (2006) and 1894 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and 1502 (2003) on the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel,

“Reaffirming its resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) on women, peace, and security and reiterating the need for the full, equal, and effective participation of women at all stages of peace processes given their vital role in the prevention and resolution of conflict and peacebuilding; reaffirming the key role women can play in re-establishing the fabric of recovering society and stressing the need for their involvement in the development and implementation of post-conflict strategies in order to take into account their perspectives and needs,

“Acknowledging the importance of drawing on best practices, past experience, and lessons learned from other missions, especially by troop- and police-contributing countries, in line with ongoing UN peacekeeping reform initiatives, including the New Horizon Report, Global Field Support Strategy, and the Review of Civilian Capacity,

“Recalling the commitments made by the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan in the 20 June 2011 Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area, the 29 June 2011 Agreement Between the Government of the Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan on Border Security and the Joint Political and Security Mechanism, the 30 July 2011 Agreement on the Border Monitoring Support Mission Between the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, and the 10 February 2012 Memorandum of Understanding on Non-Aggression,

“Condemning the repeated incidents of cross-border violence between Sudan and South Sudan, and recognizing that the prevailing situation of tension and instability in South Sudan’s border area with Sudan and outstanding issues from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement have adversely affected the security situation, while also noting that there has been a recent reduction in the violence in the border region following the adoption of Resolution 2046,

“Determining that the situation faced by South Sudan continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1.   Decides to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as set out in paragraph 3 of resolution 1996 (2011) through 15 July 2013;

“2.   Requests the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative, to continue to direct the operations of an integrated UNMISS, coordinate all activities of the United Nations system in the Republic of South Sudan, and support a coherent international approach to a stable peace in the Republic of South Sudan;

“3.   Notes the priority of UNMISS’ mandated tasks in resolution 1996 (2011) for the protection of civilians and for the achievement of an improved security environment, urges UNMISS to deploy its assets accordingly, and underscores the need for UNMISS to focus adequate attention on capacity-building efforts in this area, welcomes the development of a protection of civilians strategy and early warning and early response strategy, encourages UNMISS to implement them, and requests the Secretary-General to include progress made in implementing these strategies in his reports to the Council;

“4.   Calls upon the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to take greater responsibility for the protection of its civilians, and in this respect encourages cooperation with UNMISS;

“5.   Authorizes UNMISS to use all necessary means, within the limits of its capacity and in the areas where its units are deployed, to carry out its protection mandate as set out in resolution 1996 (2011), paragraphs 3 (b) (iv), 3 (b) (v), and 3 (b) (vi);

“6.   Pending the activation of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) and the Ad Hoc Committee of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism as called for in resolution 2046, requests UNMISS to observe and report on any flow of personnel, arms, and related materiel across the border with Sudan;

“7.   Demands that the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and all relevant parties cooperate fully in the deployment, operations, and monitoring, verification, and reporting functions of UNMISS, in particular by guaranteeing the safety, security and unrestricted freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, as well as of associated personnel throughout the territory of the Republic of South Sudan and in this regard strongly condemns any attack on UNMISS troops and staff and demands that there be no recurrence of such attacks;

“8.   Calls upon all Member States to ensure the free, unhindered and expeditious movement to and from the Republic of South Sudan of all personnel, as well as equipment, provisions, supplies and other goods, including vehicles and spare parts, which are for the exclusive and official use of UNMISS;

“9.   Calls upon all parties to allow, in accordance with relevant provisions of international law, the full, safe and unhindered access of relief personnel to all those in need and delivery of humanitarian assistance, in particular to internally displaced persons and refugees;

“10.  Demands that all parties immediately cease all forms of violence and human rights abuses against the civilian population in South Sudan, in particular gender-based violence, including rape and other forms of sexual violence as well as all violations and abuses against children in violation of applicable international law such as their recruitment and use, intentional killing and maiming, abduction and attacks against schools and hospitals and calls for specific and time-bound commitments to combat sexual violence in accordance with resolution 1960;

“11.  Welcomes the UNMISS initiative to launch an outreach campaign throughout the country, and encourages the Mission within existing resources to further develop its communication with local communities to improve understanding of the Mission’s mandate;

“12.  Welcomes the signing of a new action plan to end child recruitment by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan on 12 March 2012 reaffirming the commitment to release all children from the SPLA, acknowledges the measures taken by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to implement the new action plan, calls for the further implementation of this action plan, requests UNMISS to advise and assist the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in this regard; further requests the Secretary-General to strengthen child protection in UN system activities in the Republic of South Sudan and ensure continued monitoring and reporting of the situation of children, and welcomes the establishment in September 2011 of the UN country task force on the monitoring and reporting mechanism;

“13.  Encourages the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to ratify and implement key international human rights treaties and conventions, including those related to women and children, refugees, and statelessness, and requests UNMISS, with other UN actors, to advise and assist the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in this regard;

“14.  Expresses deep concern at the inter-communal violence in Jonglei State, that took place on 18 August 2011 and between 23 December 2011 and 4 February 2012, and the resulting loss of hundreds of lives, incidents of abduction of women and children, and large-scale displacements of civilians, acknowledges the efforts of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to respond to these incidents and protect its civilians, and in this regard underlines the need to address the recommendations of the All-Jonglei Peace Conference and of the UNMISS human rights report on these attacks, particularly the commencement of the Investigation Committee in an independent and impartial manner;

“15.  Calls upon the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to take measures to improve women’s participation in the outstanding issues of the CPA and post-independence arrangements and to enhance the engagement of South Sudanese women in public decision-making at all levels including by promoting women’s leadership, ensuring appropriate representation of women in the revision of South Sudan’s Constitution, supporting women’s organizations, and countering negative societal attitudes about women’s capacity to participate equally;

“16.  Calls upon the authorities of the Republic of South Sudan to combat impunity and hold accountable all perpetrators of human rights and international humanitarian law violations, including those committed by illegal armed groups or elements of the Republic of South Sudan Security Forces;

“17.  Calls upon the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to end prolonged, arbitrary detention, and establish a safe, secure and humane prison system, drawing on advice and technical assistance from and in cooperation with international partners, and requests UNMISS, with other UN actors, to advise and assist the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in this regard;

“18.  Calls upon the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to fully implement the national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) strategy, to expedite the ongoing DDR programme in a coherent manner, and requests UNMISS to work closely with the Government of South Sudan and in coordination with all relevant United Nations actors and other international partners in support of the DDR process;

“19.  Calls upon UNMISS to coordinate with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and participate in regional coordination and information mechanisms to improve protection of civilians and support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration efforts in light of the attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Republic of South Sudan and requests the Secretary-General to include in his UNMISS trimesterly reports a summary of cooperation and information sharing between UNMISS, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), and regional and international partners in addressing the LRA threats;

“20.  Authorizes the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps in order to ensure inter-mission cooperation, and authorizes, within the overall troop ceiling set out at paragraph 1 of resolution 1996 (2011), appropriate transfers of troops force enablers and multipliers from other missions, subject to the agreement of the troop-contributing countries and without prejudice to the performance of the mandates of these United Nations missions;

“21.  Underlines the importance of implementing the UNMISS mandate’s peacebuilding tasks, and reiterates its request that UNMISS report back to the Council on a plan for UN system support in this regard and update the Council through the Secretary-General’s regular reports on progress of UN system support to specific peacebuilding tasks, especially security sector reform, police institutional development, rule of law and justice sector support, human rights capacity-building, early recovery, formulation of national policies related to key issues of state building and development, and establishing the conditions for development, consistent with national priorities and with a view to contributing to the development of a common framework for monitoring progress in these areas; and stresses the benefits of close and full cooperation between the mission and the GRSS, UNCT and donor community in order to avoid duplication of effort;

“22.  Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report to the Council on the expected timeline of the deployment of all mission elements, including the status of consultations with Troop and Police-Contributing Countries and of the deployment of key enablers, and, stressing the importance of timely recruitment of appropriate specialists to fill vacancies in the civilian component, further requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the expected timeline of the fulfilment of civilian staffing;

“23.  Notes the benchmarks outlined by the Secretary-General in his report (S/2012/486) following consultations with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, and requests that he keep the Council regularly informed of progress during his periodic reports;

“24.  Notes with concern the critical need for military helicopters for UNMISS, calls on Member States to redouble their efforts to provide aviation units to the mission, and requests the Secretary-General to include information on force generation efforts in his regular reports;

“25.  Stresses the need for the United Nations, international financial institutions, and bilateral and multilateral partners, to work closely with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to ensure that international assistance is consistent with national priorities, including the South Sudan Development Plan, and can deliver prioritized support that reflects the specific peacebuilding needs and priorities of the Republic of South Sudan; underscores the benefits of close and full cooperation between the parties in order to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure that those that hold a comparative advantage are tasked according to that advantage; and requests the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to continue to represent the UN system in relevant international assistance mechanisms and processes;

“26.  Encourages the Secretary-General to explore ideas from the independent report of the Senior Advisory Group on Civilian Capacity in the Aftermath of Conflict that could be implemented in the Republic of South Sudan;

“27.  Requests the Secretary-General, in particular, to utilize to the greatest extent possible opportunities for co-location of appropriate mission components with the Republic of South Sudan counterparts in the interest of building national capacity; and to seek opportunities to deliver early peace dividends by utilizing local procurement and otherwise enhancing, to the extent possible, UNMISS’s contribution to the economy;

“28.  Requests the Secretary-General to continue the necessary measures to ensure full compliance by UNMISS with the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to keep the Council fully informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action including predeployment awareness training, and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;

“29.  Reaffirms the importance of appropriate gender expertise and training in missions mandated by the Security Council in accordance with resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008), recalls the need to address violence against women and girls as a tool of warfare, looks forward to the appointment of women protection advisers in accordance with resolutions 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010), requests the Secretary-General to establish monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence, including rape in situations of armed conflict and post-conflict and other situations relevant to the implementation of resolution 1888 (2009), as appropriate, and encourages UNMISS as well as the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to actively address these issues;

“30.  Requests the Secretary-General to consider HIV-related needs of people living with, affected by and vulnerable to HIV, including women and girls, when fulfilling mandated tasks, and in this context, encourages the incorporation, as appropriate, of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, including voluntary and confidential counselling and testing programmes in the mission;

“31.  Welcomes the conclusion of the Status of Forces Agreement with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, and calls upon the host Government to comply with its obligations in this regard;

“32.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

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For information media • not an official record