A team from CCCPA, headed by Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director-General of the Center, carried out a field mission to South Sudan from 20 to 25 March 2022 in light of the priority Egypt attaches to strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

The mission program, held in cooperation with the Egyptian Embassy in Juba, included meetings with the Presidential Advisor for Security Affairs, the defense and peacebuilding ministers, and the Chair of the DDR Commission. Discussions encompassed the needs of South Sudan in several areas relating to achieving peace, security, and stability, such as conflict resolution; peacebuilding; and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR). The mission came at an opportune time, reflecting the Center’s efforts to step up capacity-building and training activities aimed at supporting national authorities in relevant fields.

Meetings were also held with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of the United Nations Mission, the Head of the African Union Liaison Office, and the Chair of the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, in addition to representatives of a number of international organizations working in South Sudan. The meetings tackled ways to support peacebuilding efforts and cooperation to address the challenges facing South Sudan through the development of a comprehensive approach that enhances the humanitarian-development-peace nexus--an approach underpinned by the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development (CCCPA is the Executive Secretariat of the Aswan Forum).

The mission also included engagements with CCCPA alumni from South Sudan to evaluate the impact of the trainings and workshops on capacity building in their various fields of expertise.

The South Sudanese side expressed its appreciation of CCCPA’s mission, which reflects Egypt's keenness to support the strengthening of its national capabilities at a critical juncture in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement for Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). It also welcomed the opportunity the mission provided to learn more about the Center's expertise and capabilities in order to capitalize on its various programs within the framework of a long-term partnership.

The mission comes as part of the project on “Addressing Systemic Risks to Development, Peace and Security in Africa”, funded by the Government of Japan, through UNDP.