Delivered by H.E. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Liberia at the 10139th Meeting of the UN Security Council, held on Friday, April 17, 2026
Madam President, distinguished members of the Council:
Let me first thank the DRC for the A3 statement with which Liberia is fully aligned and with which we believe that as the A3 we stand together in support of the people of South Sudan. Let me at this moment also mention the loss of Nicholas Fink Haysom, a man with whom I served in South Sudan, in UNMISS. I worked closely with Fink, a man who served Africa and served humanity through such an illustrious career and one whose memory we honor for his service.
Let me also thank Anita Kiki Gbeho and congratulate her on her new role as SRSG. Thank her for a briefing and thank Tom Fletcher for his briefing as well. Besides having served in South Sudan in the Peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, and having served as UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, I was invited to South Sudan by the Government of South Sudan in March and I had the privilege of going to Juba again and meeting key stakeholders, including the Troika, the government and the UN.
Let me say that Liberia finds it important to speak in our national capacity to add to what the A3 has said together as one unified A3. Just adding that in addition to what has been said, Liberia campaigned for this non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council with five thematic areas as a priority; and one of the priorities was UN Security Council reform, including peacekeeping reform. And it's important for us to use this opportunity to speak to the issue of peacekeeping reform.
First, we believe in the effectiveness of UNMISS and that the effectiveness depends on the discipline of the mandate, clarity of purpose and sustained support for the mission's core responsibilities. First, the primacy of core peacekeeping functions must remain non-negotiable. The protection of civilians, facilitation of humanitarian access and support to the implementation of the revitalized Peace Agreement are foundational tasks of UNMISS. These are not optional activities. They are the core determinants of the mission's legitimacy, relevance and impact. Protection of civilians, secondly, must remain central in terms of the benchmark for success.
All mandate elements should be assessed against their direct contribution to civilian protection. Robust, proactive and mobile protection, particularly in high risk and conflict affected areas, must continue to guide operational planning, posture and resource allocation. Let's be clear, as the United Nations UNMISS is not in South Sudan alone. You have a UN country team that's in South Sudan as well. And at this height of criticality for peacekeeping and the need for protection of civilians, where should UNMISS focus and where should the agencies, funds and programs take up their core responsibilities more, and to ensure that we do not duplicate efforts in diluting our peacekeeping focus? There are functions best served by the UN country team, and I think as we look at the renewal of UNMISS’ mandate, we need to have those discussions around who's best placed to do what. Not abandoning South Sudan. Standing with South Sudanese but looking at the totality of the UN complement in South Sudan and making sure that areas where UN actors are already from the development system are already acting, that those areas remain the focus for those agencies, funds and programs and the peacekeeping mission can focus on those core functions of the peacekeeping mission. So, areas such as gender equality, climate, transitional justice and so forth. Who's best placed to take those forward?
The Council must avoid mandate congestion. An ever-expanding mandate unsupported by commensurate resources and capacities, risk operational overstretch, financial strain and strategic ambiguity. Peacekeeping missions are most effective when their priorities are limited, clear and achievable. Fifth, mandate renewals must be grounded in reality. Regular reviews should be informed by conditions on the ground, measurable benchmarks and available capacities.
Madam President, Liberia wishes to underscore that a streamlined and focused mandate is not a limitation, it’s a strategic strength. Focus enhances accountability, sharpens operational effectiveness and ensures that scarce resources are directed towards saving lives and stabilizing conditions where risks are greatest. It is not a failure of the international community. It actually is a strength of the international community, where we can look at our full capacity in South Sudan and look at where resources are necessary to support the protection of civilians. UNMISS requires resources to protect civilians. UNMISS requires resources to ensure that its core mandate is carried out, and we cannot abandon the people of South Sudan through abandoning the support to UNMISS. But where should UNMISS focus?
Liberia emphasizes all that UNMISS requires to achieve must be fully supported; operational mobility, sustained political backing and the political will required for it to achieve its objectives. We welcome the AU and IGAD support, continued support to South Sudan and the appointment of the AU special envoy, as the A3 has already said, and we stand ready to engage constructively to support UNMISS mandate that is adequately resourced, focused and fit for purpose.
The people of South Sudan need us in this room.
I stayed in South Sudan. I lived with South Sudanese to the point where I went from South Sudan to Liberia with support system from South Sudan. The woman who took care of me during my medical procedures and so forth after leaving South Sudan is a South Sudanese. I support her and her family. I'm connected to South Sudanese, and I speak in that capacity to say today that South Sudanese need us.
They need UNMISS. They need the humanitarian actors.
They need the UN development system.
And how do we ensure that in this conversation on the mandate renewal that we look at the totality of the UN and look at where each agency fund program must focus to make sure that we journey with the South Sudanese to democracy, to elections and to a better life?
They deserve prosperity.
Thank you.
