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Documents

Overview

The history of South Sudan is marked by decades of conflict and subsequent post-conflict recovery. Its 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 very 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 two laws supporting the fulfillment of (Chapter V) of the R-ARCSS i.e. the CTRH Act 2024, and the CRA Act, 2024 were passed in November 2024. 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 (CRA). 

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 in the success.  

As part of its support to transitional justice, UNDP intends to support the establishment andcontinued operation of Victims Support Groups as well as to promote truth, reconciliation and healing dialogues amongst the victims of the past human rights abuses in the most conflict affected communities, such as, survivors of conflict related sexual violence, children born out of rape, conflict related disability,  internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and ex combatants. 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 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. Throughout, these activities will address attitudes and behaviors of the different target groups through the provision of advice, as well as psychosocial support to vulnerable groups.

1. Objective of the call for proposals:

The main objective of this call for proposals is to identify 5 competent and reputable national registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations, or community-based organizations working on transitional justice, human rights and legal matters in South Sudan to undertake tailored activities meant to advance the transitional justice agenda in South Sudan through the following ways: 

1. Establish and operationalize or resuscitate Victim Support Groups (VSG) that can help and provide free confidential support to survivors of conflict related sexual violence, , children born out of rape, conflict related disability,  internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and ex combatants. This includes offering advice, and creating awareness on the truth, reconciliation and healing process, and psychosocial support to the affected vulnerable groups.

1. Carry out awareness creation and sensitization programmes for communities that are most affected by the conflict and human rights abuses on the value of truth, reconciliation, healing, compensation and reparations.  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.

1. Organize various and tailored dialogues for only survivors of conflict related sexual violence, children born out of rape, conflict related disability,  internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and ex combatants 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.
2.