Webinar on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan 2022: Risks and opportunities in an uncertain peace process

This year's mandate deliberations on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will take place in a context of significant change in South Sudan. The 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) resulted in a settlement on the formation of a transitional national government of unity that must oversee a fragile set of processes to help the country out of cycles of violence, continuing humanitarian crises, and volatile relations with South Sudan's neighbors.

However, critical key aspects of the peace agreement remain well behind schedule, including concerning security arrangements, the constitutional process, and transitional justice, though there has been some recent progress on the latter two. Against this backdrop, the United Nations Security Council will renew the mandate of UNMISS in March 2022, marking the tenth renewal of the Mission's mandate since it began in 2011.

In this webinar, panelists examined the effectiveness of UNMISS and explored the challenges and opportunities the Mission might face in 2022-2023. The discussion was centered on the findings of the report,   The United Nations Mission in South Sudan 2022: Risks and Opportunities in an Uncertain Peace Process  , which is designed to inform the March 2022 mandate renewal process for UNMISS.

The report focuses on two inter-related aspects of UNMISS 'mandate: (1) the Protection of Civilians (POC), in particular the gradual shift from POC sites to more mobile activities, and (2) UNMISS' support for the peace process, including how the Mission works with regional partners. Finally, the report provides strategic considerations and specific recommendations to the United Nations Security Council for the mandate renewal process.

The participants in the webinar discussed these issues, and the audience was invited to take part in a Q&A session.