France urges South Sudan to use mandate extension to prepare for elections, implement women’s quota

Representative of France urged South Sudan’s transitional government to use a two-year extension to “create the conditions for transparent, free, and fair elections,” finalize a permanent constitution through an inclusive process and fully implement commitments in the Revitalized Peace Agreement of February 2018.

The representative said the international community must prioritize “the full equal, meaningful, and safe participation and leadership of women” at all levels in South Sudan, including in electoral processes as voters, candidates and observers. “The commitments made by the transitional government in the peace agreement for a 35% quota for women in institutions must be implemented,” the representative said.

The French statement linked the challenges facing women and girls in South Sudan to subnational conflict, a dire economic and humanitarian situation, climate change and regional instability. The speaker noted that more than 1,000,000 people fleeing the conflict in Sudan have sought refuge in South Sudan and said gender-based violence against women and girls must be addressed urgently.

On accountability, the representative called on national authorities to implement joint action plans for the armed forces and police to address conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence and to facilitate access to justice. The statement welcomed steps taken by national jurisdictions, including mobile courts, and urged authorities to hold perpetrators accountable “regardless of their rank or affiliation,” in line with commitments in the 02/2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

The statement also commended the work of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), including its women protection advisers, gender advisers and women in uniform, and urged that the mission have the capacities needed to operate with full cooperation from the transitional government. The representative said France would “continue to actively engage in the current negotiation on the renewal of UNMISS’ mandate.”

The floor then included an exchange in which another delegate asked for more concrete measures to protect women in countries at war; the French representative replied that colleagues had joined the declaration and offered bilateral follow-up.

Why this matters: the remarks placed women’s participation, prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence, and the renewal and resourcing of UNMISS at the center of international expectations for South Sudan’s transitional authorities. The statement combined calls for immediate operational support with demands for the government to implement agreed political commitments.