Security Council extends UNITAMS mandate for one year
The small and limited UNITAMS was established last year to support the transitional government to achieve peace and build up democratic institutions.
In a meeting held on Thursday, the 15-member body extended the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) until 3 June 2022.
The decision further requested the Government of Sudan to sign swiftly the UNITAMS Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) with the United Nations and determined the number of strategic goals for the mission to support peace, human rights, and economic assistance among others.
The UNITAMS should “Provide technical assistance to the constitution drafting process, the establishment and functioning of the Transitional Legislative Council, the population census, preparations for elections, in support of national efforts;” reads the resolution.
The political mission has to support peace talks and to provide assistance for the implementation of the Juba peace agreement particularly the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR).
The mission has to “Assist, advise and support the Government of Sudan to establish a secure and stable environment” to implement the signed peace agreement and to enhance its capabilities to protect civilians, further stressed the resolution.
The Council also included among the strategic objectives of the mission the “Support the mobilization of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian and peacebuilding assistance”.
In this respect, the UNITAMS will coordinate international financial institutions and donors to optimize, “Donner resources in support of the Sudanese government of Sudan’s national priorities”.
Last year, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to develop benchmarks and indicators to track UNITAMS’s progress against its strategic objectives.
The UNITAMS, in its report to the Security Council last May, identified a total of 20 benchmarks and 107 indicators to measure progress in the delivery of the 9 strategic priorities across the 4 pillars of the UNITAMS mandate.
The political mission is participating nowadays in the peace talks between the government and the SPLM-N al-Hilu, which are expected to conclude its first round on 6 June.
(ST)