S/2020/497 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the members of the Security Council during the current extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, and as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the 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. In my capacity as President of the Council, I hereby put the above-mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for this draft resolution will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 2 June 2020. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period will expire at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, 3 June 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against or abstain) on the draft resolution, as well as your possible explanation of vote, by sending a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires a.i. within the non-extendable 24-hour voting period set out above to the Director of the Security Council Affairs Division in the United Nations Secretariat (egian@un.org). 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.

I would like to begin by thanking the penholders, the United Kingdom and Germany, for facilitating the negotiations that produced the resolution the Security Council is adopting today (resolution 2525 (2020). We would also like reiterate our support for the Sudan as it strives to lead a successful transition to democracy, bring peace to the country and oversee its economy’s recovery. Additionally, we would like to express our solidarity with the Sudan as it fights the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We welcome the extension of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) until the end of 2020, which was also recommended by the African Union Peace and Security Council. That was a logical step, for a combination of reasons. First, we have heard both the calls from the ground and the expressions of fear that people have with respect to the withdrawal of UNAMID, and it is important to respond to them. The transition from UNAMID to the Sudan in terms of the protection of civilians should be smooth and gradual and it should not leave any security vacuums that would threaten civilian lives. In this regard, we welcome the Sudan’s plan to provide protection for civilians, which was communicated to the Security Council last month. We hope that UNAMID and the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan will be seen as useful allies in building the capacities necessary to assume the full responsibility of protecting civilians. Secondly, as we are approaching the end of UNAMID, it is crucially important that the withdrawal be done in a responsible manner, so as to ensure that any of the gains secured since the start of the Operation, in 2007, will not be lost. Thirdly, there are certain realities, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the rainy season, that have to be taken into account when planning for the withdrawal of UNAMID. Furthermore, as the realities evolve on the ground, we expect to take a decision on the future of UNAMID. We are looking forward to working with the transitional authorities of the Sudan on the future course of action. Finally, we would like to express our thanks and support for UNAMID, which has been helping to bring peace and security to the people in Darfur. S/2020/497 S/2020/497

Today is a good day for the Security Council. We have collectively answered the Sudan’s call 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 helps to fulfil the aspirations of the Sudanese people for a peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous future. The new United Nations Mission that the Security Council has established today (resolution 2524 (2020)) offers a broad support package, based on the requests of the Government of the Sudan. The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) will work to achieve four strategic objectives: political transition, democratic governance and protection, and promotion of human rights; peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements; peacebuilding, civilian protection and the rule of law, in particular in Darfur and the Two Areas; and mobilization of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance. Let us be realistic — all of these tasks are enormous, and the United Nations Mission cannot deliver on those objectives alone. It is an assistance mission. The Sudanese Government and all Sudanese stakeholders need to work together. The United Nations should and will be there to support, advise and assist. There are some areas where we will need to have a broader international support package. This is true in the area of economic recovery and development, which 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 for a successful democratic transition. In addition, we aim at mobilizing financial resources from international partners to assist the urgently required reform process in the Sudan. Let us also be frank about some other areas where the Mission will have to work in close coordination and complementarity with others, namely, peacebuilding, strengthening accountability and rule of law institutions, and protecting human rights, especially in the conflict-affected regions of the Sudan. Although UNITAMS has a clear mandate for these tasks, it is not a peacekeeping operation, and as much as Germany supports a transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding, concerns about the protection of civilians in Darfur, which merit a peacekeeping response, remain. This 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 this year (resolution 2525 (2020)) 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 partnerships — in particular a partnership between the new Sudan and the Security Council — which 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. S/2020/497 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 assist the Sudan on its path of political transition. We would like to thank all partners in the Council for their support during negotiations that have led to the unanimous adoption of the two resolutions. It would be remiss of me not to thank our fellow penholder, the United Kingdom, for the truly outstanding collaboration we had throughout the long months of preparing this mandate, and we offer a special thanks to the United Kingdom’s team in New York.

Indonesia welcomes today’s adoption of resolution 2525 (2020), on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). We commend both penholders’ efforts in facilitating the negotiations and their commitment to championing consensus amid the challenging circumstances resulting from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Indonesia believes that a responsible drawdown of UNAMID is closely linked to the Sudan’s overall journey towards peace and stability. With this in mind, Indonesia voted in favour of the resolution. As UNAMID’s drawdown has coincided with an unprecedented global pandemic, we need to adjust the drawdown plan to ensure that its execution is smooth and responsible. We welcome the new deadline and look forward to hearing the Secretary-General’s assessment on progress in the drawdown. In the meantime, UNAMID needs to continue to play its protection-of- civilian role in Darfur and support the Government of the Sudan in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts should be undertaken while ensuring the safety, security and health of all peacekeepers and workers serving under UNAMID. Finally, Indonesia hopes that, with resolution 2525 (2020), the responsible drawdown of UNAMID will smoothen the Sudan’s transition into a new chapter in its journey towards peace and prosperity.

The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolutions 2524 (2020) and 2525 (2020). The establishment of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (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 for a more stable, peaceful, democratic and prosperous future. The African Union’s role will continue to be critical. We welcome our partnership with it and the strong commitment it has made 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 to make the aspirations of the Sudanese people a reality. Success will ultimately be achieved through unwavering commitments from the Government and all Sudanese stakeholders. The Security Council has made the responsible decision to extend the presence of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (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 and the wider international community that were brought about by 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 in the history of the Darfur conflict for sustainable peace. However, at present, challenges remain in Darfur, and civilians remain particularly vulnerable. Accordingly, while the Government builds its own capacity to protect civilians and the peace process remains ongoing, UNAMID will continue to be mandated to protect civilians in Darfur. The United Kingdom thanks Germany, our fellow penholder on these two resolutions, 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 the 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 these historic resolutions and look to the opening of a new chapter in the Sudan’s relationship with the United Nations and the international community. S/2020/497 S/2020/497

The United States thanks Germany and the United Kingdom for their leadership in steering the negotiations on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) under difficult circumstances. Today marks a new day for the Sudan and the international community. With the establishment of UNITAMS, the Security Council stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Sudan, who, just a little over a year ago, stood up to insist on fundamental freedoms. We are confident that UNITAMS will provide valuable support to the Sudanese Government and, more importantly, the Sudanese people, so that they can build the long-term peace and stability they so richly deserve. Given the vital role women continue to play in the Sudan’s transition, we look forward in particular to the steps UNITAMS will take to empower women to participate in political dialogue. The United States also welcomes the extension of UNAMID to 31 December. The mandate reiterates that UNAMID’s core task during this period is to protect civilians. We expect UNAMID to continue to build the capacity of 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 UNAMID and UNITAMS to maintain their political support for the Juba peace process With respect to the climate-change language in resolution 2524 (2020), we note that on 4 November 2019, the United States submitted its notification of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. The climate-change language is therefore 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 with the proliferation of climate-change language in Security Council products, particularly those products that do not directly pertain to climate. We believe that these products should focus on the important work of maintaining international peace and security rather than attempting to catalogue every single factor or selectively focusing on factors that may affect this work.