PRESS RELEASE : HRC52 – UK Core Group statement on Item 2 Resolution: South Sudan [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 April 2023.

UN HRC52: UK Core Group statement to introduce Item 2 Resolution on South Sudan. Delivered by UK’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley.

Thank you Mr President.

I am honoured to present on behalf of the core group of Albania, Norway, the United States and the UK, draft resolution L.27 on South Sudan, which, if passed, would extend in full the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan for a further year.

Mr President,

The human rights situation in South remains dire and should be of paramount concern to this Council. All major UN actors working on human rights in South Sudan have continued to report that human rights violations and abuses continue to be committed frequently across South Sudan, with impunity, by all actors, across the country. In addition, the transitional justice institutions supposed to guarantee accountability for past violations and abuses have still not been established.

In light of this, our Core Group is clear that the Commission’s mandate to monitor, report, investigate and gather evidence of human rights violations and abuses remains as necessary today as when it was established. This work directly supports efforts to make progress toward lasting peace in South Sudan, based on respect for the rule of law, accountability for past atrocities, and the full enjoyment by all South Sudanese of their human rights going forward.

Mr President,

We regret that, once again, we have been unable to reach consensus on full mandate extension with South Sudan. We note their position here in Geneva, while also deeply appreciating their continued and full cooperation with the Commission in Juba.

We also note the African Group has, as before, tabled draft resolution L.36, focusing on technical assistance and capacity building in South Sudan. We will of course support this text – technical assistance and capacity building, alongside continued and strong human rights scrutiny are key, mutually reinforcing pillars of the overall, comprehensive human rights response we believe South Sudan needs.

We therefore urge the Council to adopt this draft resolution extending the mandate of the Commission, and to vote in favour if necessary. If the resolution is adopted, we hope to continue discussions with South Sudan on whether and how we can find a way back to consensus next year.

Thank you.