On 25^th to 28^th March 2025, the National Election Commission (NEC) attended a 4-day customized modular workshop on Boundary Delimitation and Voter Registration in Juba supported by the United Nations Integrated Election Assistance Team (UN-IEAT). The training utilized BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections), a comprehensive capacity development curriculum for election management bodies worldwide. The workshop being the first of two on the topics brought together NEC Commissioners, members of the secretariat as well as members of the State High Election Committees (SHECs) in Upper Nile, Unity, Lakes, Northern Bahr El Ghazal and Central Equatoria.

The workshop was led by BRIDGE facilitators Natia Kashakashvili and Shalva Tskhakaya and supported by BRIDGE facilitators – Ahon Malou Lueth Makeny and John Kuot Kuany Diing. The workshop was opened by welcoming remarks from the NEC chairperson Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol  and the Head of the UN-IEAT/UNMISS Principal Electoral Affairs Officer, Darren Nance.

Participants were taken through:

1. Analyzing the implications of boundary drawing decisions on electoral outcomes and representation in the South Sudanese context.
2. Identify and apply principles that ensure fair and effective electoral boundary delimitation appropriate to South Sudan’s demographic and geographic realities.
3. Establish criteria for assessing the fairness and effectiveness of proposed electoral boundaries.
4. Master practical skills through hands-on activities that simulate the actual process of electoral boundary delimitation.
5. Examine foundational principles of effective voter registration systems with particular attention to South Sudan’s unique challenges.
6. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the administrative and logistical requirements for implementing voter registration in South Sudan.
7. Compare various voter registration methodologies and systems to determine which approach best suits South Sudan’s infrastructure and population distribution.
8. Collaboratively create operational planning frameworks for voter registration that can be adapted to local contexts.
9. Strengthen the institutional capacity of the National Election Commission and State High Election Committees to implement electoral processes.
10. Foster collaboration between national and state-level electoral authorities.
11. Develop action plans for implementing workshop learnings in preparation for upcoming electoral activities.

The 4-day workshop has laid a strong foundation for understanding the different modalities of Boundary Delimitation and Voter Registration. Through the interactive sessions conducted, NEC and SHECs capacity is more enhanced which improves the institution’s readiness for the upcoming elections.

On 26 March 2025, the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the State High Election Committees (SHECs) of Jonglei and Western Equatoria states organized consultative meetings with civil society organizations (CSOs) in Bor and Yambio.

The one-day event brought together 79 representatives of state-level CSOs (45 from Bor including 19 women, and 34 from Yambio including 13 women), including community and faith-based organizations, youth and women’s groups, as well as media representatives, to raise public awareness of the electoral process and strengthen relationships and partnerships between the NEC, SHECs, and CSOs. The NEC Board and Secretariat members from Juba also participated in these events. The NEC and SHECs informed of challenges associated to the electoral timeline – namely as related to the Constitution-making process timeline, political and legal clarity needed, in addition to financing. The discussion included topics and coordination on civic and voter education, voter registration, and overall election preparations at both national and state levels. Other topics covered included the inclusiveness of the electoral process, the neutrality of  NEC and SHEC members, the roles of and capacity building for electoral stakeholders, and collaboration in the electoral process, among others.

After the two events, the NEC and SHECs agreed to meet regularly to share information on the electoral process and coordinate the essential role CSOs play in the electoral process – as extended arms for civic and voter information, and as observers and watchdogs of the process. The CSO participants committed to strengthening collaboration with the election management body to ensure transparency and a coordinated approach to the electoral process. They also pledged to support comprehensive public awareness campaigns associated with civic and voter education upon clarity on the way forward.   The UN Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (UNIEAT), which includes the UNMISS Electoral Assistance Division and the UNDP South Sudan Electoral Support Project, provided both technical and financial support for the meetings.

UN-IEAT supported the NEC to conduct the first two state-level engagements with CSO, i.e., in Bentiu (Unity State) and Malakal (Upper Nile State) on 05 March 2025. The events were hosted on UNMISS premises in the two states with key logistical and administrative support provided by the UNMISS field offices and UNIEAT UNVs recently recruited and deployed to the two states.

The events were well attended by about 45 invited participants from each state. The meeting in Unity State was held at on the UNMISS premises in Rubkano and was attended by 33 CSO representatives including 7 women, while the one in Upper Nile was held in the Legislative Assembly Chamber in Malakal town and was attended by 47 CSO representatives including 11 women.  Each meeting was convened and moderated by the respective chairperson of the State High Committee (SHEC) of the NEC, Honorable Peter Mayom Pur for Upper Nile, and Honorable George Kuong Gattang for Unity.   The meetings started with opening remarks read out on behalf of the Chairperson of the NEC, Honorable Professor Abednego Akok Kacuol, who commended CSOs for their active engagement with the electoral process and support to the NEC in the preparations for the next elections including their participation in the first two NEC state-level engagements with CSOs.   “The NEC remained committed to creating an enabling environment based on, among other things, stakeholder trust and confidence in the electoral process and institutions. This will go a long way to guarantee credible elections which will serve as a firm foundation for sustainable peace, democracy, and development in South Sudan”, he pointed out.

The meetings sought to bring state-level CSOs including community and faith-based organizations, and media with the SHEC to raise public awareness and foster working relations between the NEC and SHECS on the one hand, and CSOs as key electoral stakeholders.  The meeting also sought to discuss NEC preparations for December 2026 based on the revised transition timeline of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) of 2018.  Among related issues discussed were the election timelines, funding, legal and political issues impacting election preparations. The SHECs used this platform to inform CSOS about ongoing NEC activities such as NEC institutional strengthening including training and capacity building most of which is provided by the UNIEAT; ongoing legal reform, establishing the NEC presence at the state level through office construction and refurbishment, support to NEC business processes and policy development covering areas such as civic and voter education, stakeholder engagement, gender and inclusion, corporate branding and communication also engagement with key national stakeholders including the presidency to discuss the NEC funding, organogram, legal reform; CSOs t discuss civic and voter education, election observation; and NPS on election security issues; also regional and international partners on technical and financial support.

Among the comments and questions from CSOs in the two meetings were: concern about the lack of NEC and election funding and the impact this has on NEC credibility and capacity to deliver elections in two years; continued insecurity including the recent upsurge in violence in Upper Nile and how these could adversely impact the country preparedness for elections.   Participants in the two meetings resolved to work closely with the NEC and the SHECs in areas such as civic and voter education and to actively participate in relevant coordination structures once the NEC has set them up at state and local levels.  An issue raised in the meetings was the concern about the increasing number of internally displaced persons due to conflict and flooding – the latter has rendered many communities inaccessible by road and without access to many government services.  Reaching out to water-locked communities may be a challenge when it comes to civic and voter education, voter registration, election campaigning, and the voting process itself.

The NEC used these two occasions to validate the database of CSOs working on democracy, human rights, inclusive participation and elections and the meetings agreed to regularly update the database with the support of the SHECs and UNIEAT in each state.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) held a stakeholder engagement consultative meeting on 17 January 2025 with a diverse group of civil society organizations (CSOs) including faith-based organizations, academia and media from South Sudan. The objective of the half-day engagement focused on raising awareness on the electoral process and key updates related to the electoral timeline and preparations.

Over 60 CSOs participated in the event who welcomed NEC’s initiative to strengthen dialogue with electoral stakeholders and exchange crucial information about the progress of electoral preparations and challenges, such as proposed timelines for constitutional review, population census and elections, electoral legal framework and budget constraints.

This series of stakeholder engagements form part of the Commission’s action plan adopted during a retreat in Entebbe, Uganda, in December 2024. The consultative meeting was NEC’s second stakeholder meeting, following a similar one held with political parties on 17 December 2024.  

The National Elections Commission (NEC) held a stakeholder engagement consultative meeting on 17 December with diverse political parties from South Sudan to discuss electoral timelines, electoral preparations and enabling decision-making for credible elections. Twenty-six (26) registered political parties attended the event.

The NEC provided a detailed briefing to the participants on electoral achievements and challenges related to the National Election Act and the electoral timeline. Several issues were highlighted to the plenary, including but not limited to: (i) the outcomes of the recent operational planning workshop from 3-5 December 2024 in Entebbe; (ii) adoption of the two regulations on observers, media and party agents and election campaign; (iii) adoption and signing of the NEC Code of Conduct; (iv) development of a NEC civic and voter education strategy; and (v) updates on the refurbishment of the new State High Election Committee offices.

In an interactive spirit, political parties engaged in discussions with the NEC, and the latter appealed to the parties’ support in taking critical decisions required to advance the electoral process. There was consensus among the group that while the Commission relies on legal frameworks to guide its mandate and work, collaboration with the political parties remained essential for progress. It was also encouraged by NEC Commissioners for all political parties to be well informed with the National Election Act. Several questions were raised at the conclusion of the event on a number of issues relating to the gaps in the legal framework, decisions on the population census and constitution-making process, the question of IDPs and refugees, NEC budget and fundraising efforts. It was agreed that more forums with political parties will be convened to foster relations and build civic and political space for effective citizens’ engagement with democracy and elections.

Juba, South Sudan—NEC held a press conference to announce the outcome of the NEC Operational Planning retreat and launch the official website for the NEC. 56 participants from NEC, Media houses, international partners, and others attended this event.

During this press conference Honorable Professor Abednego Akok Kacuol, the chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), and Deputy Chairperson Honorable Gabriel Gabriel Deng briefed the participants on the outcome of the Operational Planning, adoption of regulations, and signing of the code of conduct. The Spokesperson of the NEC spokesperson, Honorable George Lemi Yata launched the website and took the participants through its contents.

The commission then answered questions raised by the media about the legal framework, budget and finance, and the website.

The National Elections Commission held a successful operational planning retreat in Entebbe Uganda, attended by nine commissioners, two Secretariat Staff, and eight UN Integrated Electoral Assistance Team advisors.

The objective of this operational planning retreat was for the Commission to calibrate its priorities and establish an overall strategy for advancing its institutional readiness towards managing the electoral process that would enable the holding of the anticipated elections to be held in December 2026.  Some of the objectives of the planning retreat included:

• Review of R-ACSS extension timelines and identify key political decisions required for NEC to be able to deliver the December 2026 elections
• Define NEC’s strategies and priorities.
• Define the method for drafting of the operational plan.
• Discuss Voter Registration and boundary delimitation processes and their implementation.
• Discuss the way forward towards Civic Voter Education and Education and Engagement
• Define the way forward for the review of the budget.

The outcome of this retreat was a communique and a set of action points that presented a coherent position that would guide the next set of engagements with the Government and other stakeholders. This engagement is aimed at strengthening the understanding of the challenges around the organization and conduct of the electoral process under the current conditions and it is expected that this understanding will foster informed and timely decision-making.

Following the adoption of Regulation No. 1/2024 on the Use and Purpose of a Code of Conduct, and the National Elections Commission Code of Conduct 2024, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has taken a significant step towards electoral preparations by having the commissioners individually sign the said Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct formulates values and principles for the professional and ethical conduct of members and employees of the NEC.

The event took place during the NEC Operational Planning retreat in Entebbe, marking a crucial step towards conducting democratic, inclusive, transparent, peaceful, and credible elections in the country.

Key Provisions of the Code of Conduct include:

1. Respect for the Rule of Law:  requiring its signatories to ensure that the legal framework relating to elections is implemented in an impartial and equitable manner.
2. Impartiality and Neutrality:  requiring its signatories to maintain neutrality, avoid partisan support, disclose potential conflicts of interest, and avoid accepting gifts or favors from election-related entities.
3. Transparency:  requiring its signatories to provide effective access to electoral documents and information in a timely manner. This includes consulting with electoral stakeholders regularly and providing the legal rationale behind decisions made by the election administration.
4. Accuracy: requiring its signatories to ensure that all information collected, compiled, and published by the NEC has a sound factual basis and is presented in a systematic, clear, and unambiguous manner.
5. Service to Voters: requiring its signatories to aim to provide the highest quality service to voters, ensuring they adequately understand the election process and can exercise their political rights effectively.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Code of Conduct also outlines the duties and responsibilities of NEC members and staff. These include serving with impartiality and professionalism, exercising their powers without undue influence, and acting in the best interests of the people of South Sudan. They are also required to protect confidential information, attend all NEC meetings, and report any improper influence or misconduct. The signing of the Code of Conduct in Entebbe is an important milestone towards upholding the highest standards of conduct and ethics. This move is expected to enhance the credibility and integrity of the electoral process in South Sudan.

National Elections Commission (NEC) has taken a significant step towards electoral preparations through the adoption of three (3) electoral regulations. This took place during the NEC Operational Planning retreat in Entebbe held between the 3^rd and 5^th of December 2024, marking a crucial step towards conducting democratic, inclusive, transparent, peaceful, and credible elections in the country.

These regulations are:

1. Regulation No. 1/2024 on the Use and Purpose of a Code of Conduct, and the National Elections Commission Code of Conduct 2024
2. Regulation No. 2/2024 on Observers, Media Representatives, Agents and Special Guests
3. Regulation No 3/2024 on Election Campaign

The passing of these regulations in Entebbe is an important milestone in electoral preparedness. This move paves the way for the commission to begin preparations and planning for the December 2026 election.

Juba- From October 1^st to October 17, 2024, chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and members of the High Committees, staff members from the National Elections commission and representatives from various civil society organizations from all 10 states participated in a training program focused on electoral administration.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance the electoral process in South Sudan, facilitated by BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance, and Elections), a comprehensive capacity development curriculum for election management bodies worldwide. This program was conducted in two phases and was attended by 72 participants.

These trainings are aimed at equipping South Sudan’s electoral stakeholders with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively manage upcoming elections in the country.