S/2020/496 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the members of the Security Council in the light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, and as reflected in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to all members of the Council (S/2020/253), I would like to draw your attention to the following: The members of the Council have discussed a draft resolution, submitted by Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in connection with the agenda item “Reports of the Secretary-General on the Sudan and South Sudan”. That draft resolution has been put in blue (S/2020/485, see enclosure). With the understanding of the members of the Council, in my capacity as President of the Security Council, I hereby put the above-mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for that draft resolution will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 2 June 2020 and expire at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, 3 June 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against or abstention) on that draft resolution and possible explanation of vote by sending the Director of the Security Council Affairs Division of the Secretariat (egian@un.org) a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires a.i. within the non-extendable 24-hour voting period set out above. It is my intention to circulate a letter listing the outcome of the vote within three hours of the conclusion of the 24-hour voting period. I also intend to convene a video- teleconference of the Security Council to announce the outcome of the vote shortly after the conclusion of the voting period, on the morning of Thursday, 4 June 2020.

Today we are celebrating the establishment of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS). At the outset, we would like to welcome the fact that the Sudan reached out to the United Nations for support during its historic transition. We also welcome the fact that the Sudan has stayed engaged throughout the process of deciding the configuration of the Mission. We hope that this will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the relations between the United Nations and the Sudan, with closer and better cooperation than ever before towards the common goal of providing a brighter future for the people of the Sudan. The Security Council had the immense responsibility of designing a mandate that would best help to support the Sudan. We were committed to designing a special political mission that would fully take advantage of what the United Nations has to offer to the Sudan and its people. Therefore, the mandate of UNITAMS offers the Sudan comprehensive support on a broad range of priorities. This includes but is not limited to helping the Sudan with the implementation of the Constitutional Document; helping to achieve peace; helping to build up human rights capacity; and helping to build capacity for civilian protection, as well as helping with economic recovery. The purpose of UNITAMS is to assist the Sudanese authorities during this historic transition, and the whole setup of the Mission is to provide any kind of support to the Sudan that it might need along the way. It is clear that the Sudan’s goals of establishing democracy, bringing peace to the country and creating prosperity for the Sudanese people are very ambitious. It is all the more important, therefore, that the international community, including the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, stand firmly behind the Sudan to help to achieve them. We hope that despite the coronavirus disease pandemic, UNITAMS can be operational as soon as possible so that it can start supporting the Sudan without delay. Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the co-penholders, the United Kingdom and Germany, for having skilfully and collaboratively facilitated the negotiations that produced the draft resolution contained in document S/2020/485, which the Security Council is adopting today. Let this be a clear sign that the Security Council is committed to helping the Sudan during its historic transition. Estonia fully supports the Sudan and the Sudanese people as they pave the way towards a better future.

I refer to our letter of 2 June 2020 calling on the members of the Council to vote on the draft resolution submitted by Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the creation and mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS), put in blue under the symbol S/2020/485. I would like to present the following explanation of vote. France welcomes the creation of this new political mission, which will enable the United Nations to accompany and support the Sudanese transition in achieving its main objectives: the building of the rule of law, the peace process and the implementation of future peace agreements, the consolidation of peace in Darfur and in the Two Areas and the mobilization of development aid and humanitarian assistance. France encourages the United Nations and the Sudanese authorities to fully implement this mandate, in particular with regard to the promotion and monitoring of human rights, as well as the strengthening of the capacities of the Sudanese security forces through the deployment of United Nations advisers. It is essential, as the Council prepares to take a decision on the withdrawal of the African Union- United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, that the mandate of UNITAMS in these two areas be quickly implemented. Finally, France reiterates its full support for the transitional authorities and welcomes their efforts to build a democratic, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Sudan. We call on all armed groups to join the peace process unconditionally, and we encourage all parties to continue negotiations in order to build an inclusive and lasting peace in Darfur and the Two Areas.

Today is a good day for the Security Council. We have collectively answered the call of the Sudan to support its political transition from an authoritarian regime to an inclusive and representative Government. But, more importantly, we hope that this day marks the beginning of even stronger and more coherent support by the United Nations for the Sudan’s transition — support that delivers concrete benefits and that helps to fulfil the aspirations of the Sudanese people to a peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous future. The new United Nations Mission that the Security Council has established today offers a broad support package, based on the requests of the Government of the Sudan. The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) will work on four strategic objectives: first, political transition, democratic governance and the protection and promotion of human rights; secondly, peace processes and the implementation of future peace agreements; thirdly, peacebuilding, civilian protection and the rule of law, in particular in Darfur and the Two Areas; and, fourthly, the mobilization of economic and development assistance and the coordination of humanitarian assistance. Let us be realistic — all of those tasks are enormous, and the United Nations Mission cannot deliver on those objectives alone. This is an assistance Mission. The Sudanese Government and all Sudanese stakeholders need to work together, and the United Nations will and should be there to support, advise and assist. There are some areas in which we need a broader international support package. That is true in the area of economic recovery and development, and that is why Germany is partnering with the Sudan, the European Union and the United Nations to host a virtual high-level partnership conference on 25 June from Berlin. With this conference we want to send a strong signal of joint support to a successful democratic transition. In addition, we aim to mobilize financial resources from international partners to assist the urgently required reform process in the Sudan. And let us also be frank about another area in which the Mission has to work in close coordination and complementarity with others: that is the area of peacebuilding, strengthening accountability and rule-of-law institutions and protecting human rights, especially in the conflict-affected regions of the Sudan. UNITAMS has a clear mandate for those tasks. But it is not a peacekeeping operation. And as much as Germany supports a transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding, there are still concerns about the protection of civilians in Darfur that merit a peacekeeping response. That is why it is important that the Council has also extended the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) until the end of the year and has asked the United Nations and the African Union to provide the Council with an analysis of the situation on the ground before any decision on the future of UNAMID is made. Today is also a good day because it ushers in a new era of partnership — a partnership between the new Sudan and the Security Council that should be built on trust and not on confrontation, as was sometimes the case with the former regime. We value the open and frank discussion with our partners in the Sudan about this new mandate. Partnership is also relevant when it comes to the role of the African Union. Germany very much welcomes the intention of the African Union to continue to accompany the Sudan on its path of political transition. We would like to thank all partners in the Council for their support during these negotiations, which have led to the unanimous adoption of resolutions 2524 (2020) and 2525 (2020). It would be remiss of me not to thank our British co-penholders for their really outstanding collaboration throughout the long months of preparing this mandate, with special thanks to the United Kingdom team here in New York.

I have the honour to submit the United Kingdom’s combined explanation of vote following the adoption of resolution 2524 (2020), on the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS), and resolution 2525 (2020), on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolution 2524 (2020) and resolution 2525 (2020). The establishment of UNITAMS marks the opening of a new chapter in the Sudan’s relationship with the United Nations, the Security Council and the broader international community. Through the adoption of resolution 2524 (2020), the Security Council has responded directly to the Government of the Sudan’s request for support. UNITAMS will support the Sudan in a broad range of priorities for the transitional period, from the implementation of the Constitutional Document to the peace process, peacebuilding and the promotion and protection of human rights. In seeking this support from the United Nations, the Government of the Sudan has demonstrated its commitment to realizing the aspirations of the Sudanese people to a more stable, peaceful, democratic and prosperous future. The African Union’s role will continue to be critical. We welcome its partnership and its strong commitment to providing continued support to the political transition in the Sudan. The United Kingdom calls upon the Government of the Sudan and all Sudanese stakeholders to seize the opportunity created by this new chapter in order to make the aspirations of the Sudanese people a reality. Success will ultimately be achieved through an unwavering commitment from the Government and all Sudanese stakeholders. The Security Council has made the responsible decision to extend the presence of UNAMID until 31 December 2020 through the adoption of resolution 2525 (2020). The extension of UNAMID was necessary in the light of the challenges faced by the Sudan, along with the wider international community, from the coronavirus disease pandemic. We commend the Government of the Sudan’s commitment to assuming full responsibility for the protection of civilians. The ongoing peace process offers the best chance for sustainable peace in the history of the Darfur conflict. However, at present challenges remain in Darfur, and civilians remain particularly vulnerable. Therefore, while the Government builds its own capacity to protect civilians and while the peace process is ongoing, UNAMID will continue to be mandated to protect civilians in Darfur. The United Kingdom thanks our co-penholder for these two resolutions, Germany, for its tireless work and professionalism. The United Kingdom would also like to express its sincere thanks to the other members of the Security Council for their constructive engagement throughout these negotiations. Last year the people of the Sudan made their stand for freedom and for a better future. The United Kingdom stood with them then, and we stand with them now in partnership as we adopt this historic resolution and as a new chapter opens in the Sudan’s relationship with the United Nations and the international community.

The United States thanks Germany and the United Kingdom for their leadership in heading the negotiations on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) under difficult circumstances. Today marks a new day for the Sudan and the international community. With the establishment of UNITAMS, the Council stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Sudan, who, just a little over a year ago, stood up to insist on their fundamental freedoms. We are confident that UNITAMS will provide valuable support to the Sudanese Government, and, most importantly, the Sudanese people in building the long-term peace and stability that they so richly deserve. Given the vital role that women continue to play in the Sudan’s transition, we look forward in particular to the steps that UNITAMS will take to empower women to participate in political dialogue. The United States also welcomes the extension of UNAMID until 31 December. The mandate reiterates that UNAMID’s core task during this period is the protection of civilians. We expect UNAMID to continue to build the capacity of the Sudanese security agencies to protect civilians in Darfur in line with the Government’s recently released protection-of-civilians plan. We look forward to learning more about the plan’s implementation and seeing the Sudan fulfil its responsibilities in Darfur and throughout the country. We also expect that UNAMID and UNITAMS will maintain their political support for the Juba peace process. With respect to the climate-change language in this document, we note that on 4 November 2019 the United States submitted its notification of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Therefore, the climate-change language is without prejudice to United States positions. We affirm our support for promoting economic growth and improving energy security while protecting the environment. Beyond UNITAMS, the United States also wishes to note our concern at the proliferation of climate-change language in Security Council products, particularly those products that do not directly pertain to climate. We believe that those products should focus on the important work of maintaining international peace and security rather than attempting to catalogue every single factor or selectively focus on factors that may have an impact on this work.

Viet Nam welcomes the recent positive developments in the Sudan. We especially commend the efforts of the Transitional Government in promoting peace, stability and development in the country and in responding to the coronavirus disease pandemic, as well as those of the United Nations, the African Union and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur in supporting this process. We are pleased to see that the security situation in the Sudan in general and in Darfur in particular has become largely stable. Given the potential complexities of the situation, we hope that the Security Council and the international community will remain united and supportive of the Sudan. Viet Nam welcomes and affirms the establishment of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) as necessary and well founded. The establishment of a United Nations political mission under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter, as compared with a peacekeeping mission — the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, under Chapter VII — is an encouraging turning point. We would like to stress that UNITAMS should operate in full respect of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Sudan and in close consultation with its Government. Viet Nam counts on the continued cooperation of the African Union and the United Nations as well as their support for UNITAMS in fulfilling its mandate. We would also like to express our appreciation to the co-penholders for their efforts and constructive engagement with Council members during the negotiations. We are very pleased that resolution 2524 (2020) has been adopted unanimously, which will send a positive message to the Government and the people of the Sudan.