Outcome SSD_D_1.4

Women, youth plus vulnerable groups are empowered to demand and exercise their political, economic, social, environmental and cultural rights

Significant progress has been made in empowering women, youth, and vulnerable groups to demand and exercise their rights in South Sudan. Advocacy and strategic capacity building effort, spear-headed by UN Women, led to increased appointments of women in leadership positions, from 22% to 26% representation at the national level, including a Vice-President, Undersecretaries, and a Speaker of Parliament. UN Women supported the Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) to develop and launch its Strategic Plan (2023-2027), which provides a roadmap for promoting women’s participation in decision-making, advocating for gender-responsive policies, and addressing systemic barriers to inclusion. This plan institutionalizes gender-responsive law-making and strengthens oversight roles, fostering an enabling environment for free and fair elections. Notably, UN Women’s advocacy, in collaboration with the National Press Club, influenced the appointment of Hon. Fadia Chol as a young female Member of Parliament and Chairperson for the Specialized Committee on Agriculture and Forestry in Upper Nile State. Her appointment is an inspiring milestone, encouraging more young women to engage in political processes and shaping a more inclusive governance framework in South Sudan. These efforts collectively contribute to advancing women’s political leadership in South Sudan. The annual 2024 16 days of activism was an opportunity for the Country office to increase awareness on women and girls' protective rights and disseminate information on available GBV services.

Women, youth plus vulnerable groups are empowered to demand and exercise their political, economic, social, environmental and cultural rights

In 2025, UN Women South Sudan made significant progress in empowering women, youth, and vulnerable groups to claim their political, economic, social, environmental, and cultural rights. The year’s interventions focused on enhancing women’s leadership in peace and political processes, strengthening economic opportunities, advancing accountability to gender commitments, and promoting inclusive community engagement. These efforts generated measurable outcomes that advanced the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Women, Peace and Security: UN Women’s support to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda produced substantial outcomes in 2025. A cohort of 21 women mediators was trained, mentored, and coached in mediation and negotiation, equipping them to lead dialogue and conflict resolution initiatives in communities and political spaces. Their leadership facilitated inclusive and constructive conversations on conflict prevention, dialogue, and consensus-building. Notably, these mediators played a pivotal role in the joint high-level political dialogue in December 2025, reinvigorating momentum in the national peace process under the 2018 R-ARCSS. Communities and political actors increasingly recognized the value of women-led dialogue, reflecting a positive shift in social and political norms regarding women’s participation in decision-making. Political Empowerment: UN Women supported the Political Parties Council to conduct a comprehensive gender assessment of political parties, which highlighted gaps in women’s representation and leadership. Following validation of the assessment, political parties committed to reforms that integrate women into leadership structures and prepare for greater participation in the anticipated December 2026 national elections. These efforts institutionalized women’s leadership in political processes, ensuring women’s voices are more visible and influential in governance and policymaking. Institutional Accountability and Rights Monitoring: Significant progress was made in strengthening institutional accountability to gender equality commitments. With UN Women’s financial and technical support, the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare successfully prepared and submitted South Sudan’s report to the CEDAW Committee in November 2025. This process enhanced institutional capacity for gender-responsive reporting and monitoring, transitioning from fragmented efforts to a coordinated national approach. The report ensures that women’s voices and experiences are integrated into national policy frameworks and strengthens South Sudan’s alignment with international gender equality commitments. Economic Empowerment Results: The Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Facility (WEOF) delivered transformative results in 2025 by supporting 253 women-led enterprises (8 large and 245 medium) through catalytic grants and targeted technical assistance. Grants ranging from $2,000 to $50,000 enabled enterprises to strengthen operations, improve financial management, and expand market access. Engagement with financial institutions during the WEOF Connect Forum facilitated the opening of 152 new bank accounts for women entrepreneurs and 300 SMEs supported with grants in western Equatoria through the support of African development bank, addressing a critical barrier to financial inclusion. CEDAW REPORT https://southsudan.un.org/en/306922-south-sudanese-women-mediators-leading-peace-discussions-juba-south-sudan-%E2%80%93-december-2025 ; https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/women-mediators-bridge-divides-lead-peace-efforts-in-south-sudan

Women, youth plus vulnerable groups are empowered to demand and exercise their political, economic, social, environmental and cultural rights

There has been progress on women’s representation achieved so far as approximately 30% (602 out of 2,004 positions) although the numbers fall short of 35% affirmative action for women’s leadership positions which was enshrined in the R-ARCSS. Laws and policy promoting gender equity are not yet fully implemented or supported. A key problem is that political parties as well as government institutions are not consistently nominating adequate female representatives despite the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (TCRSS) requirement to ensure minimum 35% representation is considered. Patriarchal norms still remain a significant challenge that cannot be underestimated. Some of the significant leadership positions occupied by women at national level include 1 female Vice President (VP) for Gender, Youth and Humanitarian Cluster, 7 female Ministers, 5 female National Undersecretaries and 1 female Speaker for the first time since the independence in 2011.