JUBA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Dennis Francis on Friday pledged to support South Sudan's transitional unity government to prepare for the first-ever general elections in December.
Francis, who concluded a four-day visit to the East African country, said that the United Nations remains ready to assist the government if requested to help organize the upcoming elections.
"If the authorities in South Sudan believe that they do not have all the necessary expertise to carry out the elections in a way that would give the people of South Sudan the comfort of knowing that the elections are free, then there are mechanisms available to assist and support the authorities of South Sudan to execute the elections," Francis told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
During his visit, Francis met with South Sudan President Salva Kiir and internally displaced persons.
"There are international organizations set up that have been doing this (elections) for years, and if requested, if the government feels the need, I am sure we would be prepared to accompany the government and support their effort in getting a clear, good, strong outcome that is not questionable," Francis said.
He also downplayed doubts about the capacity of the local authorities to organize the elections, which have already been dubbed the "make or break" moment for South Sudan by Nicholas Haysom, the special representative of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
"I lived in a country where for the first time in 1956, we organized an election and we have been doing it ever since without any problems. The issue is and has to be, and I hope that the people of South Sudan will feel comfortable enough to accept the result of the elections when it comes," Francis said.
He noted that the government has recently made significant progress toward building lasting peace and achieving sustainable development, amid peace and security challenges such as intercommunal violence and the risk of spillover from the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.
Francis expressed his full support for the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan while urging the parties to the agreement to faithfully rally behind it to ensure its full implementation.
"If there is one key and overarching message I came to deliver during my visit, it is this: the United Nations system and the General Assembly which I lead fully stand behind the people of the Republic of South Sudan. We stand with all those living through or recovering from instability or conflict. We stand with the people of South Sudan, including those who are internally displaced not by any choice of their own," he said.
Francis said his presidency remains focused on helping to build peace, progress, prosperity and sustainability in South Sudan, including in neighboring Sudan, where conflict has displaced millions both internally and externally. ■
