South Sudan

Participated in Addis workshop.

February 2017: Confidential update from AMISOM Child Protection Officer, Musa Gbow, to Dragica, Watchlist: “I am aware that some AMISOM troops continue to occupy the Masla University but they have begun the process of vacating that campus. There are plans for the AU to renovate it before it could be returned to the government. This is yet to be done and the longer it takes the more children continue to be deprived of the needed education. There is therefore the need for more advocacy and funds mobilization to support AMISOM to vacate and renovate the university.”

July 2017: In Somalia, AMISOM vacated the Somali National University and returned control of the facility to the authorities in a handover ceremony, which was presided over by Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Somalia, and the Minister of Education, Deputy Minister of Finance, and the Deputy Governor. Also in attendance were representatives of OCHA, UNICEF, civil society and other government officials. Prior to the handing over, the UN Support Office in Somalia supported the clearance of all unexploded ordnance and cleaned the buildings that had been occupied by the troops. Significant refurbishment is required, but the university director announced that classes would resume in September 2017. This is the third education facility now handed over to the Federal Government of Somalia since the beginning of 2017. Human Rights Watch issued a dispatch highlighting the handover, and calling on the African Union to adopt rules aimed at ending all military use of schools. The dispatch was further shared by All Africa. UNICEF issued a press release welcoming the handover, which highlighted the need for education facilities to be disassociated from military use.

September 2017: GCPEA sent a letter to the ambassador in New York asking to raise the issue on attacks and military use, draw attention to the Declaration and the Guidelines and also to mention the AU call to endorse during the Open Debate on children and armed conflict.

April 2018: Save the Children Norway travelled to South Sudan to meet with colleagues implementing the Schools as Zones of Peace project. A key obstacle to implementation of the Declaration is lack of financial resources. In addition, authorities, particularly at the sub-regional level, have limited knowledge of general IHL principles.

February 2019: The Human Rights Council-mandated Commission on Human Rights released a report, concluding that violations that may amount to crimes against humanity have continued to be committed in 2018. It is reported that at least 2.2 million school-aged children are out school as education facilities have been targeted, damaged, or occupied for military purposes.

March 2019: Clustered Interactive Dialogue with the SRSG CAAC Virginia Gamba, HRC Geneva: joined Norway’s joint statement on the Safe Schools Declaration.

February 2020: The Government of South Sudan and different armed groups in the country took a historic step by signing a Comprehensive Action Plan to end and prevent all grave violations against children. This is the most comprehensive Action Plan signed to date by parties listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General Annual Report on CAAC. The Action Plan covers protection against attacks on schools.

August 2020:GCPEA reviewed and provided comments to a 12-page “booklet” that Save the Children South Sudanese team and their partner Advocates without Borders had drafted to help socialize the SSD and its Guidelines with the Ministry of Defence, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in an upcoming meeting organized by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction. This is an important step to help South Sudanese authorities apply the SSD and its Guidelines to their context to help elevate the discussion on the SSD in South Sudan.

September 2022: Endorsed the Call to Action on Education in crisis situations (refers to EuA22 data) at the Transforming Education Summit

September 2022: The Committee on the Rights of the Child has released its new concluding observations on South Sudan: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared20Documents/SSD/CRC_C_SSD_CO_1_50282_E.pdf
“The Committee notes the efforts of the State party to cease and prevent all grave violations committed against children, including through implementation of the Child Rights Act (2008), the 2014 joint communiqué, signed by the President of South Sudan and the United Nations, on addressing conflict-related sexual violence, the R-ARCSS (2018) and the 2020 Comprehensive Action Plan to halt and prevent all six grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict in South Sudan. However, the Committee is seriously
concerned that:…“(c) Schools and hospitals have been targeted, damaged, or occupied for military purposes;“…Recalling the recommendations made by the United Nations Secretary General (A/76/871-S/2022/493 and S/2020/1205) and the Security Council Working Group on Children on Armed Conflict (S/AC.51/202/1) and in line with commitments made by the State Party during its third Universal Periodic Review, the Committee strongly urges the State party to:…“(d) Endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration [dear reader, they already have…] and prevent and condemn the use of schools and hospitals as military bases effectively denying children the right to education and to health;”