Closure of UNMIS

UNMIS wound up its operations on 9 July 2011 with the completion of the interim period agreed on by the Government of Sudan and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed on 9 January 2005.

The mission ended its six years of mandated operations the same day South Sudan declared independence, following a CPA-provided referendum on 9 January 2011 that voted overwhelmingly in favour of secession.

In support of the new nation, the Security Council established a successor mission to UNMIS – the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) – on 9 July for an initial period of one year, with the intention to renew for further periods as required.

Workshop held to combat gender violence

11 Mar 2010

Workshop held to combat gender violence

In an effort to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) through alternatives to wood gathering, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) held a workshop in Juba on household energy from 2 to 5 March.

The session, which drew participants from government ministries, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, aimed to share and discuss information about household energy and other technological initiatives that could be used in areas of conflict or natural disasters.

Addressing participants, Erin Patrick, WRC Fuel and Firewood Initiative officer noted that collecting, supplying or using firewood in humanitarian settings had been linked with several harmful consequences.

These included rape and assault during firewood collection, environmental degradation, and respiratory or other illnesses caused by indoor burning of biomass materials, which rarely fit neatly into existing mandates of NGOs or UN agencies, Ms. Patrick said.

In addressing the problem, an Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Force on Safe Access to Firewood and Alternative Energy (IASC task force SAFE) had been set up in 2007.

The task force's overarching goal was to help identify solutions to the security, environmental, technological, health and other concerns that had arisen around firewood collection and supply in humanitarian settings worldwide.

It aimed to become a key vehicle for information sharing about new research; development and promotion of best practices; monitoring, evaluation and assessment tools; and gathering of evidence about the effects of household energy-related initiatives.

Jina Dev, a senior programme officer in the Women's Refugee Commission, noted that the need to collect firewood had kept girls away from school, reduced their participation in economic activities and exposed them to gender-based violence.

Her commission was advocating vigorously for laws, policies and programmes to improve the lives of refugees and internally displaced women, children and young people, and would continue to work towards zero GBV, Ms. Dev said.

NGOs attending the workshop included World Vision, Plan International, CHF International, American Refugee Committee (Arc), Norwegian Church Aid, Goal South Sudan, Save the Children Southern Sudan.