In a statement delivered on his behalf by RJMEC Deputy Chief of Staff-Strategy, Dr. Thomson Fontaine during the official opening of the workshop in Juba, the RJMEC interim Chairperson Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai underscored to the Council members the importance of a people-led and people-owned Permanent Constitution, which he said will be the cornerstone of the state of South Sudan, paving the way for a smooth transition through free, fair and credible elections. 

“As the legislative arm of Government, I take this opportunity to remind you of the critical role you play in ensuring that the necessary legislation is enacted to enable this process to commence expeditiously,” he said.

As such, Maj. Gen. Gituai reminded the members of the Council that the implementation of the 2018 R-ARCSS “is now at a critical juncture” with less than a year to end of the Transitional Period.

“The slow progress in the implementation of the Agreement, compounded by the recurring challenges, is beginning to create anxiety amongst the Parties to the R-ARCSS, the region and international peace partners,” he said. 

 “One key question I have asked repeatedly relates to what strategy the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) has in place to complete implementation of the R-ARCSS within the remainder of the Transitional Period.”

Further, the Chairperson called on the Parties to the Agreement “to build on the peace dividends made so far, adhere to their commitments to peace, take steps to improve relationships and trust, and inculcate the necessary political will which will move the country forward towards enduring peace.”

While closing the Workshop, H.E Maj. Gen. Gituai noted that implementation of the R-ARCSS has faced various challenges, ranging from lack of sufficient resources, insufficient political will and lack commitment of some actors, trust deficit amongst the Parties and capacity gaps in some Agreement institutions and mechanisms, as well as growing subnational violence, activities of the holdout groups, military defections from one signatory party to another, impact of flooding and the COVID-19 global pandemic have also impacted the implementation of the of the Revitilised Peace Agreement, he said. The Interim Chairperson, tasked members of the Council to individually and collectively support the full implementation of the Agreement. 

The workshop, which targets the 100 members of the Council, will be followed by a series of workshops for the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), is aimed at enhancing common understanding of the content of the Revitalised Peace Agreement, its staus of implementation and how the two legislative bodiescan provide the necessary support for its progress.