[{"bbox": [86, 154, 323, 185], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [86, 220, 234, 246], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [97, 265, 1134, 415], "category": "Text", "text": "Since South Sudan's independence in 2011, the country's progress towards stability and peace is hampered\nbecause of protracted local **conflicts** and **violence**, a massive **displacement** situation, **human rights abuses**\n(especially affecting women and children), arbitrary arrests and detentions resulting in a **shrinking civic space,**\nviolations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), **climate change** (increasing recurrence of floods). As a\nconsequence, the majority of the population lives in **dire humanitarian conditions**."}, {"bbox": [97, 430, 1134, 549], "category": "Text", "text": "Road connectivity is nearly inexistent and the economy is still largely dependent on oil-related revenue and on international aid. This in combination widespread corruption has a significant negative impact on economic growth, exchange rate, inflation and fiscal deficit. The state lacks both capacity and the political will to respond to the dire needs of the population."}, {"bbox": [97, 565, 1134, 837], "category": "Text", "text": "The **Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan** (R-ARCSS), signed in September 2018, calls for “**free, fair and credible national elections**” that reflect the will of the people, to be carried out sixty days before the end of the transition period. This would **be the first time** that South Sudan conducts a general election since the country’s independence in July 2011. However, in the absence of a conducive environment for elections, the timeline for elections remains uncertain. In August 2022, the parties to the peace agreement agreed to launch the process of amending the peace agreement to extend the transitional period with two years, thus effectively postponing elections to December 2024. In this context it is particularly important for the international community and in particular for the EU to timely connect on election preparations and reinforce its impactful forefront role in key reform processes."}, {"bbox": [97, 852, 1134, 1032], "category": "Text", "text": "The implementation of the **peace agreement is lagging** mainly in the **absence of political buy-in**. In 2021, some momentum was created around the inauguration of the revitalized transitional national legislative assembly (RTNLA), but RTNLA suffers from capacity flaws and lack of driving engagement of its members. The revised national development strategy and the national budget (2021/2022) were adopted in the first quarter of 2022, but the **adoption of critical acts related to security and elections are delayed**. Censorship and arbitrary detainments result in **shrinking civic space**."}, {"bbox": [97, 1048, 1134, 1289], "category": "Text", "text": "The roadmap for elections is yet to be adopted, but election preparations are high on the multilateral partners´ (in particular UNMISS and UNDP) agenda. There is general consensus amongst the international community that **too early elections** (in 2023, within a non-conducive environment) risk exacerbating ongoing **spiral cycles of violence**. All multinational and international partners (including the EU Heads of Missions) highlight the **prior need for progress on enabling environment** (whilst recognising however that **elections should not be postponed too long**). A shrinking civic space and the lack of accountability and political buy-in to the implementation of the peace agreement contribute to the risk of public mistrust to the democratic process. Nevertheless, elections still represent a hope for improved political legitimacy."}, {"bbox": [97, 1305, 1134, 1453], "category": "Text", "text": "The UN conducted an electoral needs assessment, and on the recommendation from the UN Secretary-General, **UNMISS** has taken the lead on **coordinating support for a conducive environment for elections** (as per its **recently updated mandate**). Therefore, the **EU** will connect with the **multilateral agenda on election preparations**, in particular with the recently updated UNMISS mandate targeting conduciveness for the organisation of elections."}, {"bbox": [97, 1469, 1134, 1619], "category": "Text", "text": "This Action is aligned with **MIP priority area 3 Good governance, peace and rule of law for a fairer society** and the **Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign Security Policy** (EUGS 2016) and 'A **New Strategic Agenda for 2019 –2024**', adopted by the European Council and promoting global peace and stability with democracy and human rights as key objectives. It will promote the core values of the EU, and contribute to its policy objectives spelled out in the **New Consensus on Development** and the implementation of the **EU-Africa**"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 23"}]