I join others in thanking the Special Representative Mr. Volker Perthes for the insightful briefing, as well as the chargé d’affaires of the Sudan for his statement.
Mr. President,
Estonia welcomes the progress the Sudan continues to make in its historic transition, despite multiple challenges the country is facing. For the transition to stay on course, as envisioned by the revolution and the Constitutional Declaration, the importance of institution building cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, we urge the transitional authorities to expedite the formation of the Transitional Legislative Council, with 40 per cent representation of women. Similarly, we call for the establishment of Human Rights Commission, the Transitional Justice Commission, and the Anti-Corruption Commission. For the success of the Sudan’s transition, it is also crucial to have women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in decision-making bodies. On this note, allow me also to express Estonia’s concern about the level of violence against women and girls, and urge the government to take more steps to create a protective environment that respects their full and equal rights.
Estonia also welcomes the efforts to implement the Juba Peace Agreement, including the establishment of the National High Committee and sub-committees to follow up on the implementation of the Agreement. Yet there is a need to accelerate the implementation, in order to respond to the hopes of the population to live in peace. For this reason, we urge the transitional Government to prioritize the implementation of the security arrangements of the Juba Peace Agreement, including the operationalization of ceasefire mechanisms. Estonia welcomes the Declaration of Principles signed by Abdelaziz Al Hilu’s SPLM-North, and calls on parties, who have not yet joined the Peace Agreement, to do so urgently. Estonia also continues to encourage cooperation with the International Criminal Court.
The socio-economic situation unfortunately continues to impose significant hardship on the Sudanese people, but we commend the important steps the Transitional Government has taken to put the country on the path towards economic recovery. Estonia welcomes the recent Paris Conference on the Sudan, and hopes that the Sudan can reach the Highly Indebted Poor Country decision Point soon.
Despite this progress, one persistent concern is the precarious security situation in some parts of Darfur, and the devastating consequences of intercommunal violence. We know that Darfuri people had fears about the departure of UNAMID, and we cannot stand by as these fears seem to materialize. Efforts must be re-doubled to ensure the safety of civilians, including women and children. Perpetrators of violence must be held accountable. Therefore, we urge the transitional Government to accelerate implementation of its National Strategy for Civilian Protection. We call on the Sudan to cooperate with UNITAMS in order to build up the necessary capacities to ensure protection of all civilians. On this note, we welcome that the Minister of the Interior has requested the deployment of additional United Nations police officers. We also call for the urgent deployment of the joint protection forces.
Mr. President,
UNITAMS was intentionally given a broad mandate, in order to ensure that it can provide assistance in many areas, in which the Sudan might need help with. However, in order to make tangible progress in areas where progress is most urgently needed, it might be useful to prioritize some objectives for the next year, while still maintaining the broad mandate. Tracking the progress will be crucial. Therefore, Estonia welcomes the development of benchmarks and indicators, which will help to monitor the progress of UNITAMS against its strategic objectives. We also welcome the news that the Status of Mission Agreement is ready to be signed.
To conclude, we welcome the progress that the Sudan has made, but also acknowledge that a lot remains to be done. While the Sudan has a long road ahead, it is important to emphasize that the Sudan will not be alone in this journey, as the international community stands firmly behind its historic transition. I reiterate Estonia’s full support to the Sudanese people to achieve democracy, peace and prosperity.