| Overview : I. BACKGROUND The history of South Sudan is marked by decades of conflict and subsequent post-conflict recovery. It’s impact on every sphere of people’s lives continues to be seen through dehumanization, deep distrust, divisions, and persisting diverging collective memories. Many victim-survivors still hold grievances by the past civil war, of sadness and loss (personal, physical and economic) and the lack of recognition of their identities as victims. A lack of communication among the community members continues to foster anger, hatred, and misunderstanding. Past human rights abuses remain unaddressed, social capital is lacking, trauma persists, and economic recovery is still limited. The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) has taken steps towards rebuilding South Sudan in line with the R-ARCSS including through the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms. The mechanisms aim to advance truth telling, reconciliation, healing, reparations and criminal accountability if the country is to recover and re-emerge on the path to unity and sustainable peace. Priority has been placed on setting up the Commission on Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing (CTRH) and the Compensation and Reparations Authority. To date the R-TGONU through the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has after extensive public countrywide consultations drafted and finalized two Bills that that will establish the CTRH and CRA were approved by the Council of Ministers and were later presented to the National Legislative Assembly in late 2023. completed public consultations on the law, conducted two learning visits to identify comparative experiences and drafted a framework for the CTRH and CRA Bills. The Bills are under Parliamentary review and are expected to be completed in 2024. By its very nature, the CTRH will enable the country to acknowledge its history of past violence; help the truth to be known publicly; enable justice to be done; and support victims and the society to move beyond the painful past into a united and peaceful future. In turn, it will signal the way forward to ensure grave violations of human rights never happen again. The public and victims of past abuses can only benefit from these transitional justice processes if they are made aware of them, provided with legal, medical, psychosocial, and other support, and prepared to seek available remedies willingly. Securing public support for these processes will also be crucial to the success. As part of its support to transitional justice, UNDP intends to support youth and women led CSOs to carry out civic education and local outreaches on truth reconciliation and healing in areas where previous work has been undertaken but serious challenges remain visible in terms of the need for information, engagement on peacebuilding, continued intercommunal violence spearheaded by young people with women and children bearing the heaviest brunt especially in the areas in (Central Equatoria (Juba); Eastern Equatoria (Magwi), Upper Nile (Malakal), Pibor Administrative (Pibor), Warrap (Kuajok) areas. This will be done through tailored conversations on the CTRH and CRA targeting at least 300 women and 300 youth who are past victims and survivors of several types of conflict in each area the project will be implemented. Through these tailored dialogues, victims of past human rights abuses will be sensitized, prepared and able to engage willingly with the Commission for Truth Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and the Compensation and Reparations Authority once they are established. Complementary radio programmes targeting the general public in communities will further increase awareness, mobilize communities to support and where relevant participate in the CTRH hearings and create demand for the establishment of other mechanisms on reparations and criminal accountability. This call for proposal invites competent and reputable registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working across the States in South Sudan to submit proposals for a (4) months grant aimed at breaking any barriers preventing communities and victims of past abuses from seeking remedies from the CTRH process through the dissemination of information and conducting of public outreaches contributing to awareness-raising on transitional justice and specifically the CTRH, and creating spaces among victims to dialogue and become aware about of and ready for truth telling, reconciliation and healing. II. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the grant is to identify competent and reputable registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations, or community-based organizations in Central Equatoria (Juba); Eastern Equatoria (Magwi), Upper Nile (Malakal), Pibor Administrative (Pibor), Warrap State (Kuajok) areas in South Sudan to: NB: EACH REGION WILL REQUIRE A SEPARATE AND TAILORED PROPOSAL TO THE LOCATION - Conduct at least 5 tailored dialogues with 300 women and 300 youth in the various localities in a particular region identified above on the CTRH and CRA on truth-telling, participating in reconciliation and healing and seeking compensation and reparations. The dialogues should be held in a manner that ensures and guarantees the safety of victims and survivors post the meetings.
- Conduct awareness creation and sensitization programmes for women and youth that are most affected by the conflict and human rights abuses on the value of truth, reconciliation, healing, compensation and reparations through road shows, sports activities, radio programs and other innovative activities. This will enhance their understanding of the transitional justice mechanisms and act as a platform where both the public and victims can support the Commission for Truth Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and demand for other mechanisms on reparations and criminal accountability.
- Conduct at least 1 dialogue session with young people in tertiary and high school settings in a selected locality on the CTRH and CRA providing critical information as well as enabling discussions among young people on the question of transitional justice in South Sudan. The use of social media platforms and the inclusion of local languages is highly encouraged in this intervention.
III. EXPECTED OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES The organizations are encouraged to develop their own expected results based on their respective assessment of needs, issues, and challenges of vulnerable groups during the period of implementation. Expected results will include the following: - Each CSO to conduct at least 5 tailored dialogues with a total of 300 women and 300 youth in the various localities on the CTRH and CRA on truth-telling, participating in reconciliation and healing and seeking compensation and reparations. The dialogues should be held in a manner that ensures and guarantees the safety of the participants, especially victims and survivors of past violations post the meetings.
- Conduct awareness creation and sensitization programmes for women and youth that are most affected by the conflict and human rights abuses on the value of truth, reconciliation, healing, compensation and reparations through road shows, sports activities, radio programs and other innovative activities. This will enhance their understanding of the transitional justice mechanisms and function as a platform where both the public and victims can support the Commission for Truth Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and demand for other mechanisms on reparations and criminal accountability.
- Conduct at least 1 dialogue session with young people in tertiary and high school settings in a selected locality on the CTRH and CRA providing critical information as well as enabling discussions among young people on the question of transitional justice in South Sudan. The discussions where possible should be aired on social media sites such as YouTube and or Facebook, further providing a more solid referral point for more engagement post the meetings.
|
