Honourable Ministers,

Excellencies;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good morning. 

1. It is my pleasure to be with you this morning at this very important workshop. As all of you now know that the Pre-Transitional period has been extended by 100 days, and the clock began ticking last week. The Resolutions of the Ministerial Consultation of the Agreement Parties on 9th November and the 69th Extraordinary Session of IGAD Council of Ministers on 10th November designated this workshop as an essential step towards rectifying repeated failures in the implementation of the critical Pre-Transitional tasks. I am pleased to note that this workshop has been organized quickly, and I thank all those involved in its preparation.

2. Put simply, we have reached this point because not enough has been done to implement the pending Pre-Transitional tasks in order to establish the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) on a solid foundation. While this is an unfortunate situation, we all understand that without funds, not much can be implemented. The timely and predictable flow of funds is paramount. RJMEC has consistently called for the release of funds and continue to urge the ITGoNU to immediately release the requisite funding, in the understanding that one day without funding is a day lost.

3. Also on the theme of funding, I would like to draw attention to Agreement Article 1.4.8. This article calls for a fund for the Pre-Transitional activities to be established which is to be managed transparently by the NPTC, and which reports monthly to the President of the Republic of South Sudan and to the Parties. Past experience of funding difficulties and inadequacy shows why this is a good idea, and I urge that the fund be established to manage funds transparently for the duration of the extension. This will bring credibility to the process and will encourage international partners, friends and donors to contribute to the fund. I also appeal to the NPTC to prioritise available funds to the operations of the mechanisms. 

4. This workshop is a good opportunity for the mechanisms, in the spirit of openness and transparency, to indicate how they have used the money that they have already received. Additionally, doing so will enable us to understand how much money the NPTC has disbursed, so that likewise it can be held to account. The NPTC should open exclusive accounts for each mechanism and deposit amount commensurate to operations of the specific Pre-Transitional tasks to be implemented.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

5. This workshop is primarily a working session designed for each mechanism to set out priorities, critical tasks, milestones and rolling cost estimates for the duration of the extension. Each of the mechanisms must use these two days to complete their workplan and get themselves into a state of readiness to implement the critical pending Pre-Transitional tasks.  This involves clear strategic thinking, prioritization of activities, plans for concurrent implementation, and coordination with the other mechanisms. I wish to also welcome the participation of the DDR Commission, and I hope that its crucial role in the implementation of the cantonment and DDR process will be fully appreciated by all and funded accordingly.

6. In view of the above my recommendations for the NPTC and the Security Mechanisms during the 100 days extension are as follows:

1. a) Each mechanism should adhere strictly to the activities and timeframe as set out in the respective workplans;
2. b) Each mechanism should have the highest regard for cost effectiveness and transparency;
3. c) The NPTC should establish dedicated budget lines for each mechanism, and set up an account for each, which would promote accountability and transparency according to the letter and spirit of Article 1.4.8;
4. d) Each mechanism should account for the funds it has received to date; 
5. e) Each mechanism should establish and commit to an effective and realistic system of coordination between all the various mechanisms to avoid duplication of effort and ensure effective and efficient utilisation of resources; and  
6. f) Each mechanism should develop a standardised and regular reporting system so that progress can be clearly evaluated against benchmarks.

7. In closing, I would like to say that the workplans that you will set out over the next two days can work if the political will of the Parties is brought to bear, and it is my hope that renewed impetus in implementation over the 100 days extension will lead to increased trust and confidence. Finally, let me remind all of us that Unification of all Forces is a requirement of the Agreement (Article 2.2.1) and must not only be acceptable to all the Agreement Parties but the Parties must put all their efforts to see to its success. 

8. I wish you a fruitful two days’ workshop.

I thank you.