The Gender Equality in Public Administration (GEPA) research, commissioned by South Sudan's Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and conducted by the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI) at the University of Juba with UNDP support, aimed to assess the status of women’s representation in public administration. The study used the UNDP’s global GEPA initiative framework and the UNDP-OECD Toolkit for Mainstreaming and Implementing Gender Equality in Public Life, focusing on four pillars: institutional and governance frameworks, gender-sensitive parliamentary practices, gender-sensitive public employment systems, and gender-sensitive practices in public administration.

The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and the Transitional Constitution mandate a minimum 35% quota for women’s representation in government at both national and state levels, despite the constitutional and legal frameworks, the implementation of the 35% quota remains inconsistent and often falls short.  This study therefore reflects the gender status in public administration at the national level, and explores the implementation and considerations related to gender equality.