Speech Knapen at South Sudan International Engagement Conference
Statement by the Dutch Minister of European Affairs and International Cooperation, Ben Knapen at the South Sudan International Engagement Conference in Washington, 14-15 December 201.
Mr Salva Kiir, President of the Republic of South Sudan; Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The Netherlands has been a friend of South Sudan for over three decades. As you may know, the Dutch are known for building bridges. And in fact the only still standing bridge across the Nile in Juba was built with the help of Dutch engineers in the 1970s. But we do not only build bridges physically, we also try to build them within and between societies. This also goes for South Sudan. We hope the newborn country will acknowledge the importance of building good relations between the various communities within its borders and with its neighboring countries, including Sudan.
In 2005, the Netherlands was closely involved in the conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the northern and the southern parts of Sudan. In fact, one of the first meetings between the parties took place in the Dutch town of Noordwijk.
We are keen to see Sudan and South Sudan hammer out the remaining agreements. It may seem difficult after years of negotiations. But you have come this far: it is time to settle the outstanding issues now and face the many challenges still ahead. We congratulate the people of South Sudan on their newly gained independence. It is an important milestone and the people of South Sudan have high expectations of the near future. They want to see what peace dividend means in their daily lives: stability and prosperity for all.
This is a tall order for the Government of South Sudan. It will have to invest in integrated social services delivery quickly - not only as a goal in itself, but also as a means to economic development. In the end, integrated social services delivery should help strengthen South Sudan’s investment climate as well as the creation of a vibrant private sector.
In this process, civil society, including NGO’s, women’s organizations and churches are important partners. We expect South Sudan to make strong headway in creating the necessary conditions by promoting good governance, accountability and the rule of law, including the protection of human rights for all.
The Netherlands stands ready to support you in carrying out this task. South Sudan is one of the Netherlands’ 15 partner countries for development cooperation. Our contribution to South Sudan - bilaterally, multilaterally and via NGOs - amounts to €75 million annually.
In line with the South Sudanese Development plan, our 4-year bilateral programme will focus on water resource management, food security and the rule of law – all areas where the Netherlands has specific expertise on offer. For example, we are the no. 1 food exporter of the world. And as far as water management is concerned: our country would simply not exist without it.
Apart from political and development efforts, achieving a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of South Sudan demands efforts in the area of security. Operating in a vast country emerging from decades of civil war, the UN Mission in South Sudan has great challenges ahead of it. Close cooperation between the Republic of South Sudan, its international partners including the UN and the EU on political, development and security matters is crucial.
We are encouraged by the quick start made by UN Special Representative Hilde Johnson on the deployment of UNMISS, its integrated approach and the decentralisation of UNMISS into the field. The Netherlands will support UNMISS to the best of our ability, including with the deployment of 30 Dutch military and police personnel as well as civilian experts.
A final note. A promising new step in international cooperation is the development of the EU Joint Programming Initiative for South Sudan. We are on the verge of agreeing on a single EU response to the South Sudan Development Plan, which will amount to €900 million for this period. The Netherlands is proud to be part of this cooperation as well.
Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The Netherlands has been with South Sudan on the long and winding road leading up to the 9th of July. And we will remain with you on the uncharted road ahead, hopefully leading to peace and prosperity for the people of South Sudan.