PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
UN Mission in South Sudan (5 February 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affiars, what support his Department provides to the UNMISS peacekeeping mandate in South Sudan; and what assessment his department has made of the effectiveness of that mandate.

Asked by:
Dame Harriett Baldwin (Conservative)

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) mandate is due for renewal by 15 March. We will continue to work with UN Security Council members to ensure this is extended and that the mission continues to have a mandate that focuses on: protection of civilians; human rights; peace process support; and humanitarian aid delivery. We continue to assess that these core tasks remain relevant and important, including as the peace process moves into the next phase if a government of national unity forms by the 22 February deadline.

As a member of the UN Security Council, the UK has a long-standing role in supporting the peace process in South Sudan and supporting UNMISS. This includes the UK's commitment to funding peacekeeping missions globally through contributed funds of £51.45m (in FY 2018/19) and circa 300 UK peacekeepers who have provided medical and engineering support to UNMISS since 2016.

Successes of the UK military contribution includes the building of a UN hospital in Bentiu, the upgrading of 15km of road used to deliver vital food and aid, as well as making a wider contribution to UN peacekeeping reform. In particular we commend the role that UNMISS and its leadership have played in the protection of civilians in South Sudan, and supporting both to human rights work and the peace process.

One of the largest factors influencing the effectiveness of the UNMISS mandate and its implementation has been the approach and the political will of the Government of South Sudan and opposition groups. The number of access issues has reduced since the signing of the 2018 peace agreement, but we are concerned by continued denials of access and hope this will improve as the peace agreement is implemented in full. Through our bilateral engagement we continue to make clear at the highest levels the importance of unfettered access across South Sudan for humanitarian actors and the UN.

Answered by:
Sir James Duddridge (Conservative)
18 February 2020