S/PV.8135 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item of its agenda. Members of the Council also have before them document S/2017/1045, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2017/1011, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on South Sudan covering the period from 2 September to 14 November 2017. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2392 (2017). Following consultations among the members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on their behalf: “As the conflict in South Sudan enters its fifth year, the Security Council expresses continuing deep concern at the political, security, humanitarian, human rights and economic situation in South Sudan, and is deeply concerned about the actions of all parties to the conflict that are perpetuating this, with 7.6 million people now in need of aid, 4 million displaced and 6 million lacking enough food to feed themselves. “The Security Council deeply regrets that the parties have not fully taken the steps called for in the presidential statement of the Security Council of 23 March 2017 (S/PRST/2017/4), most notably their adherence to the permanent ceasefire and allowing the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, and demands that all parties immediately do so. “The Security Council takes note of the ceasefire initiative by the Government, calls on the Government to adhere to its ceasefire and urges the opposition to reciprocate. “The Security Council takes note of the September 2017 mid-term implementation status report of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission and its findings that the parties to the conflict have failed to implement substantive elements of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, and that conditions for credible elections do not presently exist. “The Security Council expresses its strong support for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) high-level revitalization forum for the Agreement and looks forward to the convening and full inclusivity of such a forum and substantive progress on the initiative by the end of December. The initiative will need strong, coordinated and cohesive regional support, and the Security Council urges IGAD to continue efforts in this vein. The Security Council strongly urges all parties to engage constructively in the process to revitalize the Agreement, underlines that no party should set preconditions to participation, and that there must be cost and consequences for those who undermine the high-level revitalization forum process. The IGAD high-level revitalization forum should be truly inclusive, in particular with meaningful participation of women, youth and the broader South Sudanese civil society. The Security Council takes note of the African Union Peace and Security Council’s communiqué of 20 September and agrees that the IGAD high-level revitalization forum is a unique window of opportunity, but equally a last chance for the parties to achieve sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan. The Security Council also takes note of other potentially complementary regional initiatives. “The Security Council welcomes the briefing by IGAD Special Envoy Ismail Wais on the report of the pre-forum consultations on the high- level revitalization forum and his briefing on the important and constructive contributions made by a diverse range of South Sudanese stakeholders as summarized therein, and fully supports his role in the process. As a first priority, the Security Council calls upon all parties to end hostilities as a sign of commitment to the high-level revitalization forum — as they have pledged to do. Given the briefing by the IGAD Special Envoy, the Security Council further urges the parties to agree to monitored, effective and durable security arrangements to stop the conflict; specific steps to improve the human rights and humanitarian situation, including safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors; the governance arrangements so that all voices in South Sudan are represented; a political process that produces an agreed path to viable elections, including improved security; and timelines for the implementation schedule of the Agreement to reflect the need for a conducive environment for post-transition elections. The Security Council further urges the parties to agree on strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms so that whatever is agreed through the high-level revitalization forum is able to be effectively implemented, and there is cost and consequence for those who violate the agreement. “The Security Council reminds the Government of South Sudan of its stated commitment to cooperating fully with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and calls on the Government to honour that commitment. The Security Council notes with deep concern the continuing obstacles that hinder the delivery of vital life-saving assistance to the South Sudanese people. The Council condemns attacks on national and international humanitarian personnel and compounds, and actions by all parties that have targeted United Nations and humanitarian workers. “The Security Council condemns all instances of attacks against civilians and the military use of hospitals and schools, and recalls that the UNMISS mandate includes monitoring, investigating, verifying and reporting publicly and regularly on abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. The Security Council reiterates that perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights must be held accountable, in order to break the prevailing cycle of impunity.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2017/25.