South Sudan

Interview: Hilde F. Johnson - New mission, new approach

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On 8 July, Hilde F. Johnson of Norway was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for the Republic of South Sudan and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Having played an instrumental role in negotiations leading to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement, Ms. Johnson brings a wealth of experience to her position. She is also author of the recently published book Waging Peace in Sudan: The Inside Story of the Negotiations That Ended Africa’s Longest Civil War. To gain some insight about UNMISS and its future work, the Mission’s Public Information Office (PIO) spoke with Ms. Johnson at UNMISS headquarters in Juba.

PIO: What is the mandate of UNMISS?

Hilde F. Johnson: We have a clear mandate that was passed by the Security Council on the eighth of July in Resolution 1996 (2011), which formally established the Mission. We are supporting South Sudan as a new independent country, which makes the mandate different from that of the previous Mission – UNMIS (UN Mission in Sudan).

While UNMIS was mainly supporting and monitoring implementation of the CPA, this Mission will help achieve and sustain peace and stability in the new country, and establish conditions for development. The mandate has strong elements related to security capacity in areas like the police, rule of law and human rights.
UNMISS will also aim to strengthen the nascent Government's ability to govern effectively and democratically as well as establish good relations with its neighbours in a type of state-building exercise.
What will the Mission's main tasks be in carrying out its mandate?

This Mission’s mandate highlights three main areas. One is peace consolidation, which also includes political diversity and inclusiveness in the political arenas in South Sudan.
The second area highlighted in the Security Council resolution is conflict management, conflict resolution and protection of civilians. The third area is support to the nascent state, not least in the security sector, rule of law, justice, human rights and abiding with international norms and standards.

In performing these tasks, how will UNMISS relate with other UN bodies in South Sudan?

UNMISS will be a strong, integrated Mission. This means that the United Nations will be working as one in South Sudan. UNMISS will focus on the security and political mandates, and enabling conditions for development, while the UN Country Team will be concerned with the development and humanitarian side. All three pillars will come together in one integrated whole.

As the SRSG, I will supervise and oversee these pillars, and the Country Team will work in tandem with us in an integrated way. I will also be the main interlocutor for the UN system in relation to institutional mechanisms, donors, actors and conferences, for example. This is reflected in the resolution as well.

The last Mission was accused of not doing enough to protect civilians from internal threats. How does UNMISS plan to tackle this area?

The mandate specifically says that protection of civilians is primarily the Government’s responsibility, so the Government of the Republic of South Sudan with the Ministry of Defence will have the main responsibility to take action in these situations.

But UNMISS has a stronger Chapter 7 mandate than the previous Mission. Human rights were significantly highlighted in the mandate, and this will be critical -- protecting women, children, internally displaced persons, refugees, etc.

If civilians are under imminent threat and the Government fails to intervene, we will have the mandate to act. That would depend entirely, of course, on the situation on the ground, the availability of forces and the distance as well as dynamics of the threat. You cannot respond to that question other than on a case-by-case basis.

How many peacekeeping forces will UNMISS have to carry out its security tasks?

In terms of the deployment of troops, the Security Council mandates a peacekeeping operation of 7,000, but it also has a caveat to review in a few months whether 7,000 are necessary or whether one can operate with 6,000. We will, of course, work with the Force Commander and UN Headquarters on their deployment and how they will operate.

How will UNMISS be involved in state-building?

We are in a situation where the state-building responsibilities of the Mission are significant. We will assist with building up capacity in our core areas and expanding the authority of the state, and enable development actors do the same at county, state and national levels.

Among our tasks, we will advise and support the Government on political transition, governance and state authority, including national policies. This also relates to the full core functions of the state.

The UN Country Team did some work in this area before independence, with the help of regional partners, by preparing and supporting core functions of the state. One thing that is being done is to bring in personnel with executive experience from other countries to support government ministries and core state institutions to help them function. We will encourage popular participation in politics through an inclusive constitutional process, the holding of elections according to the constitution, an independent media and women's participation in decision-making.

What immediate steps will you take to begin your work in South Sudan?

One of the immediate priorities will be to establish necessary understanding with the Government on how we are to implement our mandate. When I met President Salva Kiir on 12 July, I asked for a mechanism consisting of key government ministries to be established as our primary interlocutors. There is a caretaker government now and we are waiting for a formal government to be established.

The other priority is to get this Mission up and running in full capacity. We cannot act without the necessary team on the ground. There are a lot of people here, but we need to reconfigure the Mission and get new people in. The third element is going to be to flash out what this mandate means in practical terms for us.

Do you plan to get closer to people in the grassroots? How would you do this?

This is a new Mission with a new approach. Depending on discussions with the government, we would like to have a different, decentralized approach with presence at the county level, engaging with the community. County Support Bases (CSBs) will be our way of doing this in an integrated manner with UN agencies.

To make sure we obtain grassroots feedback, I want to have a survey that can tell us a bit about perceptions of local communities on how the previous Mission was doing -- what was done well or not well and what we can improve. It is absolutely critical to get feedback from the local communities.

The second thing I want to do is establish an Advisory Council for me as SRSG, consisting of local, traditional and religious leaders and civil society in South Sudan -- people who can advise me on how we are doing. Many of these people have networks far into rural areas and can also communicate whether there has been inappropriate behaviour by individuals or groups.

Will UNMISS have any role to play in the resolution of outstanding CPA issues?

My predecessor, Haile Menkerios, who was the SRSG of UNMIS, will continue in a new function as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan. He will be responsible for completing negotiations that have been under way on remaining issues between Sudan and South Sudan. Abyei will be covered separately through a new Mission that will be established with an Ethiopian force.

You were involved in peace negotiations between the north and south. How does it feel to be back in this new capacity in a new nation?

I am really pleased to be here. I have been working on issues relating to Sudan and the peace process and also with South Sudanese ever since the 1990s. For me, it is a unique opportunity from a personal perspective to be able to support the new Government of the Republic of South Sudan.

This is a critical moment for all South Sudanese and we are in a situation where the success of the new and independent country in terms of peace, stability and development will be vital in going forward. I think the next two to three years will be fundamental. So to lead the efforts here at this very critical juncture is an honour, and a major responsibility.