S/2021/259 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, as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the Permanent Representatives of the members of the Security 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 the United States of America, in connection with the agenda item “Reports of the Secretary-General on the Sudan and South Sudan”. That draft resolution, contained in document S/2021/249 and enclosed herein, has been put into blue. 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 this draft resolution will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, 11 March 2021. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period will expire at 1 p.m. on Friday, 12 March 2021. 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 Officer-in-Charge of the Security Council Affairs Division of the Secretariat (sutterlin@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, in the afternoon of Friday, 12 March 2021.

I thank the Security Council members, South Sudan, the United Nations and other stakeholders for their constructive engagement to update and renew the mandate for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This mandate renewal demonstrates the leadership of the Security Council in support of peace and security in South Sudan. While the signatory parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan have taken important steps towards fulfilling their commitments, the risk of a return to widespread violence is real. Violence against civilians has surged, and UNMISS remains critical to preventing that violence and building peace. Together we have reinforced the Mission’s core objectives and supported its efforts to be more mobile and responsive through patrolling in high-threat areas, while maintaining its ability to respond to threats in the current and redesignated protection-of-civilians sites. We have strengthened the Mission’s role to support the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement. We have also called on the Government of South Sudan to take action on priority measures that we believe will spur implementation of the peace agreement and enhance security for the people of South Sudan. Those measures include implementing security arrangements in the Revitalized Agreement and ending all obstructions to UNMISS patrolling and its other activities, including human-rights monitoring. The mandate renewal also demonstrates the Security Council’s commitment to the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) reform initiative. Through resolution 2567 (2021), the United States aimed to respond to A4P’s call for clearer and more strategic mandates. We introduced a three-year strategic vision to provide the Mission a clear expression of the Security Council’s expectations and the political objectives to be achieved. We streamlined language and restructured the resolution to make it more focused and concise. And we introduced a more strategic reporting framework for the Mission to articulate how its activities will contribute towards the strategic vision. We expect that this approach will support more effective peacekeeping and hope it will be considered in other Mission settings in future. The United States continues to closely monitor the fragile state of South Sudan’s peace process and the alarming humanitarian situation. We believe that climate change is a multidimensional threat multiplier. The impacts of climate change, including more frequent and intense drought, more destructive extreme weather events, longer heat waves, catastrophic wildfires and devastating flooding, can exacerbate existing challenges and destabilize regions, thereby undermining our ability to successfully execute peacekeeping operations and promote other shared security priorities. Referencing climate change in this mandate renewal reinforces the importance of better understanding and addressing related threats. We urge the transitional Government to swiftly implement peace agreement reforms and ensure humanitarian access to those affected by the food insecurity crisis. We also continue to urge South Sudan’s leaders to demonstrate the spirit of compromise necessary to fully implement the peace agreement and call for corresponding vigilance and support from the countries of the region and from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Based on my own visits to the country and meetings with South Sudanese people, I believe it is vital for the leaders of South Sudan to address urgent humanitarian needs, respect human rights, ensure accountability — including for sexual and gender-based violence — and empower all stakeholders to participate in the governance process. Women and other S/2021/259 marginalized groups deserve a seat at the table, and their inclusion will ensure a more just future for all. We expect all parties to extend their full cooperation to UNMISS as it carries out its vital work in South Sudan. The United States looks forward to continuing its close cooperation with the Security Council, South Sudan, the United Nations and other stakeholders in support of peace, stability, justice and development in South Sudan.