YouSaid · the spoken record

Yuyada

lines on the record
12
first
2022-03-07
most recent
2022-03-07
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “I urge the Security Council to follow-up on its previous call on the Government of South Sudan to improve the judicial system and establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, as well as call for the swift implementation of the joint action plan, in particular the identification and adoption of practical measures to protect victims and witnesses. All interventions are supposed to be guided by a survivor- and human-rights- centred approach, which is currently not happening. I will stop here and remind the Security Council not to remain loudly quiet about the violation of our human rights.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  2. “Since 2013, countless victims are still waiting for justice, yet the Government does not invest in the judicial system or the establishment of the rule of law and refuses to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan enshrined in the peace agreement. Judges are paid peanuts and left unprotected; activists are threatened and intimidated with impunity. The civic space has closed. Women human rights defenders can hardly even obtain a copy of the Joint Action Plan in order to supplement and support its implementation. Tell me, how can we continue our work for justice when every effort is made to deter progress?”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  3. “In all of South Sudan, there are only two safe houses — imagine that. Those safe houses cannot handle the increasing number of survivors who seek assistance and shelter. The increase in gender-based violence and the frequency of threats against survivors are both a direct result of the failure to establish a system of justice to ensure accountability for crimes, including those committed in violation of international law. I welcome the Government’s adoption of the joint action plan for the armed forces on addressing conflict- related sexual violence in South Sudan. However, it is unfortunate that more than a year has passed since its adoption, and the implementation of the Joint action plan does not match the immense suffering and needs of the high number of survivors.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  4. “For my part, the issue that continues to be raised to our Organization is the denial of protection and justice to survivors of gender-based violence, resulting from near-total impunity. I want to briefly highlight the effect that this culture of impunity has on survivors. In our work with and on behalf of survivors, the alleged perpetrators — often in positions of power — face little to no consequence for carrying out acts of gender- based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. The result is that alleged perpetrators, who continue to live and work in the community, are free to threaten survivors. There have been many occasions where we have feared for the lives of the survivors we work with, as well as for our own safety. The survivors we work with have no place to go.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  5. “Were I the first South Sudanese woman to brief the Security Council, I would discuss in-depth the ongoing, systematic and widespread sexual and gender-based violence that is perpetrated with impunity, highlighting the way in which displaced women and women and girls with disabilities are particularly affected, noting the increase of domestic violence in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizing that gender- based violence is rooted in systems of patriarchy and inequality. However, the Council has already heard detailed testimony and analysis on those very issues. I therefore want to reinforce that the insights shared by my civil society colleagues remain relevant, and I urge the Council to take forward their recommendations.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  6. “For proper elections to take place, citizens want to see that all forces are cantoned, that military forces and allied militias are unified under one central command trained to reflect a national professional army that is non-political and defends the people and territorial integrity and that a nationwide disarmament and demobilization programme is under way. Although the constitution-making- process bill is before Parliament, no steps have been taken to prioritize its adoption. Moreover, the constitution-making process ought to be consultative and citizen driven. Civic space and education on the electoral process and constitution-making are critical. Without guarantees that the Government will ensure freedom of expression and opinion, association and peaceful assembly, citizens are worried about elections and scared of its consequences.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  7. “The Security Council must also clarify that under its existing protection-of-civilians mandate, UNMISS is expected to ensure the safety and security of all voters, poll workers, candidates and officials, as well as human rights defenders and activists. The safety of civilians in the lead up to and during the elections will be at considerable risk, particularly given the recent defections by military actors within the parties to the agreement. Those defections only cast uncertainty on the sustainability of the revitalized peace agreement and securing our future.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  8. “Not only is the necessary legal and institutional framework not in place, with less than one year before the planned elections, but the current insecurity and lack of confidence the people have, due to the failure to implement the revitalized peace agreement, can only have a detrimental impact on the legitimacy of the outcome, which risks further violence. If steps are not taken to ensure that the election is inclusive, transparent and safe, we fear the outcome. In that context, all UNMISS support for the electoral process must be geared towards ensuring that it is safe, inclusive and in alignment with international standards.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  9. “To expect the people of South Sudan to remain resilient in the face of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and other trauma — losing our children and loved ones; being displaced from our homes; dying from hunger, floods and disease; and witnessing the impunity with which sexual violence, including rape and other horrific crimes under international law, have been committed under the watch of the Council and its Member States — is unacceptable. As the transitional period comes to an end this year, South Sudanese are expected to go to the polls for general elections tentatively planned for 2023. However, in consultations with my fellow civil society members and having listened to citizens’ views, including in refugee camps, there is agreement that the ground is not ripe for free, fair and peaceful elections.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  10. “This is a particularly important lesson for the Security Council to take into account when renewing the mandate for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). It is sad, disheartening and unacceptable that we keep raising the same issues with Council members, only to see the situation continue to worsen. We are tired of sharing the same stories of rape, child marriage, war, trauma and loss. Having visited many of the affected communities, I can personally attest that after enduring decades of conflict, the resilience of my fellow South Sudanese people is fading. Although ours is a history of struggle for liberty, freedom, prosperity and dignity, we can struggle no more.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  11. “As my civil society colleagues have previously highlighted, since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan over three years ago, there has been limited to no progress in implementing crucial provisions of the agreement with respect to security sector reform, constitutional and electoral reform, judicial reform and transitional justice. Although major towns including the capital Juba remain calm, violence has increased at the local level. One of the factors driving the increased violence is the exclusionary nature of political and peace efforts at all levels in the country. Communities do not feel represented by officials, and there is no accountability for those who misuse their authority.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source

  12. “Ms. Yuyada: Greetings from my sunny city, Juba. I am Riya Williams Yuyada, a women’s human rights and peace activist working with Crown The Woman, a local feminist non-governmental organization working on women’s human rights in South Sudan. I appreciate this opportunity to brief the Security Council. To date, 11 South Sudanese women have briefed the Security Council, and today I am the twelfth. We are grateful that the Security Council has recognized the importance of hearing from South Sudanese women in its discussions.”

    2022-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8987 (2022) · source