Overview : ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND RULE OF LAW PROJECT Call for Proposals for Small Grants Request for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including NGOs and/or CBOs for application of Small Grants to establish victim support groups Deadline for proposal submission: 20 April 2017 On 15 December 2013, political contestations within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party, triggered fighting in Juba. Forces loyal to then Vice-President Riek Machar Teny clashed with the Government forces and came to be known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). The violence quickly spread to residential areas as well as Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States, taking the form of targeted ethnic killings. Notwithstanding the signing of the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) in August 2015, and the establishment of a Transitional Government on National Unity (TGoNU), further violence erupted in July 2016. These crises were accompanied by accounts of widespread human rights violations and crimes such as destruction and looting of property; summary executions along ethnic lines; and widespread sexual violence, including gang rape. The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, displaced over two million people, including 1.61 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 727,573 refugees. 169,418 of these IDPs sought protection by UNMISS in the protection of civilian (PoC) sites. It is clear that the people in South Sudan have suffered from decades of conflict, whose violations and traumatic consequences have been largely left unaddressed and unrepaired. The negative effects are felt in a variety of ways: grievances due to a lack of justice; uncertainty about loved ones who have gone missing; physical injuries that are left untreated and serve as a constant reminder of the violence; mental trauma; broken relations and mistrust between and within families and communities; and more often than not, challenges in building sustainable livelihoods and possible accessing longer-term, peer support networks. However, victims of conflict lack networks and organisational frameworks within which to advocate for their right to remedy. UNDP South Sudan’s Access to Justice and Rule of Law (A2J/RoL) Project provides support to access to justice and transitional justice initiatives in South Sudan, including the implementation of Chapter V of the ARCSS. Chapter V of the agreement provides for transitional justice and establishes three national level institutions: a Hybrid Court for South Sudan (HCSS), a Commission on Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH), and a Compensation and Reparations Authority (CRA). This support consists of technical assistance to national rule of law institutions; conducting a survey of perceptions of South Sudanese on issues related to truth, justice, reconciliation and healing; development of policy and discussion papers; creating space for dialogue and raising awareness through workshops, lectures and conferences; and support advocacy for transitional justice through civil society initiatives. UNDPs’ A2J/RoL Project hereby invites CSOs/NGOs to submit proposals for initiatives that establish victim support groups to provide victims with information on their rights and the channels available to them. |