PRESS RELEASE

(For Immediate Publication)

24 February 2018, Juba, South Sudan

JMEC postpones Plenary meeting

JMEC Chairman, H.E. Festus Mogae, has announced that the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Plenary meeting scheduled for the forthcoming week has been postponed until further notice, pending consultations with the Chairperson of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The IGAD-led High Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF) and the signing in December 2017 of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access (ACoH) has necessarily expanded the number of participants in the peace process and the ACoH includes specific provisions that require the restructuring and reconstitution of both JMEC and the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM).

Therefore, it is important to ensure that JMEC pays proper respect to the principles of inclusivity and fairness and seeks guidance from IGAD on the way forward.

The 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) remains at the centre of the peace process, and progress towards its inclusive revitalisation is being made.

The IGAD-led High Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF) first convened from 18th to 22nd December 2017, resulting in the signing by all parties of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access.

The Forum then convened for a second session from 5th to 16th February, 2018 during which progress was made in revitalising the articles and provisions of Chapters One and Two of the ARCSS. A third session of the HLRF is expected to convene within weeks.

JMEC will resume its regular meetings as soon as possible.

ENDS