Overview 
Women and men in South Sudan, particularly youth and vulnerable groups, benefit from and participate in more transparent, accountable and inclusive governance that protects and promotes human rights, enables the consolidation of peace, establishes the rule of law and ensures access to justice for all.  

Description

i.    Access to Justice
Implementation of the Access to Justice, Security and Human Rights (A2JSHR) programme is guided by principles of inclusion and approaches that are gender-responsive, child-sensitive, people-centered, survivor-focused, conflict-sensitive, and flexible. The programme underpins UNDP’s efforts in achieving South Sudan’s peacebuilding and long-term development objectives by providing equitable, timely and human rights-centric justice services which protect victims and enhance citizens’ security. 

Support to R-ARCSS Implementation
The program supports permanent constitution-making, transitional justice, and judicial and security sector reform, with a focus on implementing the peace and security agenda for women and youth. It has facilitated the enactment of the Constitution Making Process Act 2022 and the establishment of the Revitalized National Constitution Review Commission (R-NCRC). Additionally, the program has aided in drafting two key bills for the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and the Compensation and Reparation Authority (CRA), which have been submitted to the National Assembly (TNLA). Read More

ii.    Peace Building
The Peace and Community Cohesion programme, UNDP seeks to contribute to the reduction and mitigation of community level conflict and insecurity by investing in initiatives that address key drivers of conflict and insecurity. UNDP uses an integrated and gender-sensitive approach to support the communities to effectively prevent, manage and resolve conflict in a non-violent manner. The project works with communities, civil society organizations, academia and key government institutions responsible for peacebuilding and also strengthens community relationships by identifying cultural, social and economic connectors that make communities reliant on each other in times of peace and conflict. Read More

iii.    Support for core Governance
UNDP’s Strategic Governance programme aims at setting the country on a pathway to sustainable peace, development, and improved well-being for its citizens by targeting specific structures and institutions integral to RARCSS implementation; to address gaps in skills, knowledge and organization; encourage dialogue and consensus building and strengthen accountability. The programme is devoted to capacitating legislative bodies, strengthening local governance structures, and supporting inter-governmental relations to expand services to those left furthest behind. Furthermore, it is also committed to supporting interventions that lay a foundation eventual transparent, inclusive, and credible elections.

iv.    Enhancing Economic Governance
UNDP’s Governance and Economic Management Support (GEMS) project supports the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) by focusing on capacity building that enhances the reform path for public administration and economic governance, as stipulated in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The project's activities center around Public Finance Management (PFM), legal reviews, competency-based training, and the coaching and mentoring of Change Agents (CAs) by Special Skills Experts (SSEs) deployed in key national ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

v.    Electoral Support
As part of the United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (UN IEAT), together with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Electoral Affairs Division, UNPOL, UN Women, and UNESCO, with the support of the broader UN Country Team, the UNDP South Sudan Electoral Support Project aims to strengthen national institutions, platforms, and processes in support of fair, credible, peaceful, and inclusive electoral processes in South Sudan that establish legitimate representative institutions. The project is anchored in the objectives of the UNDP Country Programme and the United Nations Strategic Framework for South Sudan, which promote peace through inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance. It is aligned with the renewed mandate of UNMISS, adopted under Security Council Resolution 2726 (2024). The project contributes to the electoral and broader priorities of South Sudan’s Revised National Development Strategy, the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and the corresponding August 2022 Roadmap. The roadmap envisions free and fair elections that reflect the people's will as a critical component of the peace agreement.