Mr. President of the Security Council, Hon. Members,
for more than fifty years the Community of Sant'Egidio has been a peculiar international actor: a community close to the vulnerable people, dedicated to peace, interreligious dialogue, humanitarian aid and also able to conduct international mediations and facilitation in different parts of the world, from the peace agreement in Mozambique signed in Rome in 1992, to Burundi, from Guatemala to Kosovo and Mindanao. Indeed, we believe that “war is the mother of all poverty."
Today I am addressing you about the crisis in South Sudan. I want first of all to thank the United Arab Emirates presidency for inviting us to testify about our work before this Council. Sant'Egidio has been following with care and concern the situation in South Sudan since the 1990s, well before its independence. Several times Dr. John Garang, the founding father of that country, visited our headquarters in Rome to seek avenues for dialogue, in the midst of the struggle for independence. Our initiative, called the Rome Initiative, was born in the aftermath of the signing of the Revitalized Agreement, in the complicated phase of creating the Government of National Unity.
Several political and military entities had rejected that agreement and it was necessary to retrieve them. Pope Francis personally intervened since the memorable "Spiritual Retreat." Thus was created the precondition for convening the non-signatories to the Revitalized Agreement in Rome, with a full mandate from President Salva Kiir to negotiate with them. The Rome Initiative led to mutual recognition between the government and non-signatory opposition and created a negotiating framework for political engagement. Despite forced interruptions due to the Covid 19 pandemic, this dialogue has reduced the level of violence in the country and created new hope for peace.
The Rome Initiative allowed representatives of the SSOMA, the alliance of non-signatories, to be trained for their future inclusion in the CTSAMVM. The process is more inclusive now and it is moving further in that direction. The Rome Initiative represents a political
dialogue complementary to, and in harmony with international institutions. Sant'Egidio is committed to continue on this path with the intention of creating favorable ground for eradicating violence.
At this level, I must mention the important contribution made by civil society representatives and leaders of the country's Christian and different religious denominations. This participation will only increase in the coming stages and is a decisive impetus in calling government and opposition leaders to their responsibility towards the South Sudanese people and their suffering.
Finally, I would like to thank those who have supported and are supporting this effort with active participation and constant exchange of information and guidance: the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) through its representative Nicholas Haysom; the countries of the region; IGAD for its efforts in obtaining the Revitalized Agreement, as well as the institutions born for its implementation and in particular the RJMEC, the CTSAMVM. Finally, the TROIKA (US UK and Norway), the Swiss Confederation, Canada, Italy, Japan and international organizations such as the WFP and ICRC.
Thank you for your attention.
Prof. Marco Impagliazzo
President, Community of Sant’Egidio
