Adoption of the Report of the Working Group on the
Universal Periodic Review of South Sudan
Statement of the United States of America
as delivered by Jason N. Lawrence, Adviser, U.S. Mission to the UN
Human Rights Council 34th session
Geneva, March 17, 2017
Thank you, Mr. Vice President.
The United States welcomes the South Sudanese delegation.
We welcome South Sudan’s acceptance of our UPR recommendation to fulfill its obligation to cooperate fully in establishing the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. We underscore that in the absence of any accountability for the violations and abuses of human rights perpetrated in South Sudan there is no hope of bringing an end to South Sudan’s ongoing violence.
We note South Sudan is still examining whether to accept our UPR recommendation to enable the full deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF), as authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 2304. Unfortunately, South Sudan’s obstruction of the RPF continues, undermining South Sudan’s stability and risking further atrocities. South Sudan’s leaders have committed to this deployment, and it is high time they live up to that commitment.
South Sudan’s people deserve a chance to fulfill the promise of their nation’s independence and to live in a country free from this abhorrent conflict and in which their leaders will respect the human rights of all persons. We hope that in the future South Sudan will accept our third UPR recommendation and establish an open, consultative process for drafting and ratifying a new constitution.
Thank you.