This project profile page contains information about The United Nations Mission in South Sudan project including project results, impact, and effective practices. This page will be updated annually in line with EIF project reporting requirements.
| Mission | Updates | |||||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||
| Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
| UNMISS | 1250 | 8.18% | 1261 | 8.97% | 1400 | 10.49% | 1580 | 11.39% | 1609 | 11.62% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experts on Mission | 44 | 24.44% | 52 | 31.52% | 61 | 42.36% | 71 | 46.71% | 69 | 43.95% |
| Formed Police Units | 280 | 32.37% | 195 | 29.77% | 229 | 36.94% | 227 | 36.44% | 216 | 34.07% |
| Individual Police | 170 | 50.30% | 221 | 64.06% | 275 | 65.32% | 234 | 50.32% | 218 | 45.04% |
| Staff Officer | 73 | 21.22% | 79 | 23.30% | 76 | 23.90% | 87 | 25.66% | 89 | 26.41% |
| Troops | 683 | 5.04% | 714 | 5.69% | 759 | 6.41% | 961 | 7.82% | 1017 | 8.31% |
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was established on 9 July 2011 following the creation of the Republic of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Through Security Council Resolution 1996 (2011), the Mission was created to help consolidate peace, strengthen security, and lay the foundations for development.
After the outbreak of conflict in December 2013, the Security Council revised UNMISS’s mandate under Resolution 2155 (2014), prioritising the protection of civilians, human rights monitoring, and support for humanitarian assistance.
Today, more than 18,000 peacekeepers from over 75 countries serve with UNMISS, working to protect civilians, facilitate aid delivery, promote human rights, and build durable peace across South Sudan. The Mission’s current mandate is guided by a three-year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war, support inclusive and accountable governance, and promote free, fair, and peaceful elections in line with the Revitalised Peace Agreement.
UNMISS operates under four core pillars:
1. Protection of civilians
2. Creating conditions for the delivery of humanitarian assistance
3. Supporting the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement and the peace processes
4. Monitoring, investigating, and reporting on human rights and humanitarian law violations
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is implementing a two-year pilot project to enhance the participation of uniformed women in Long Duration Patrols (LDPs), Company Operating Bases (COBs), and Temporary Operating Bases (TOBs) by improving their working and living conditions in remote locations.
The project involves the procurement of relocatable ablution units and sanitation equipment for use during expeditionary operations. These facilities and equipment will ensure that gender-specific needs are adequately met, thereby strengthening the Mission’s duty of care towards women peacekeepers and increasing their participation and increasing their participation in remote deployments. Expanding women’s participation in these areas is essential for enhancing community engagement, improving crisis response, and fostering trust among vulnerable populations.
Despite progress, UNMISS continues to face challenges in achieving gender parity as envisioned under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy (UGPS). Women peacekeepers represent only 10.2 per cent (1,534) of the Mission’s uniformed personnel, with women comprising 30 per cent of United Nations Military Observers (UNMOs), 43 per cent of United Nations Police Individual Uniformed Personnel (UNPOL IUP), and only 7 per cent of the military contingents.
Women also deploy less frequently outside Juba, with 57 per cent participating in long-duration patrols compared to 72 per cent of men. Those who do deploy often experience an unequal workload, resulting in fatigue and reduced morale. Additionally, women face operational barriers such as the absence of separate accommodations, limited access to water for hydration and hygiene, and inadequate ablution facilities at remote sites. Some women peacekeepers have reported restricting food and water intake during patrols to minimize ablution needs, posing health risks.
This project will directly address these gaps by providing relocatable ablution units in TOBs and COBs and portable sanitation kits to enable safer and more sustainable deployment conditions for women. By improving infrastructure and support systems, the initiative seeks to increase women’s participation in LDPs and remote operations, reinforcing both operational effectiveness and gender inclusivity within UNMISS.
EIF Outcome 4
US$749,952
US$749,952
UNMISS
UNMISS
24 months
18 September 2025
18 September 2025
18 September 2027
nil
24 months
The project will focus on improving the working and living conditions of uniformed women peacekeepers in remote areas through the provision of relocatable ablution facilities and sanitation equipment. Using standard United Nations procurement and project management procedures, a cross-functional project team will oversee implementation, under the leadership of the Force Commander and Police Commissioner.
Equipment to be procured includes 1,000 “She Wee” devices for discreet use during patrols, 200 portable toilets with pop-up ensuite tents to create private spaces, and 200 tented showers for long duration patrols. In addition, ten Company and Temporary Operating Bases will be equipped with relocatable ablution facilities.
To ensure effective use, maintenance, and sustainability, the Mission will organize awareness-raising and hands-on training sessions for equipment installers, maintainers, commanders, planners, and Gender Advisors. Gender Focal Points across field locations will be trained as trainers through a dedicated Training of Trainers (ToT) session led by the project management team. These activities aim to encourage Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries (TCCs/PCCs) to deploy more women to remote areas by ensuring adequate support systems and infrastructure are in place.
As a pilot initiative, the project will include a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to assess its impact on women’s participation, welfare, and operational effectiveness. Baseline, midline, and endline assessments will capture user feedback, gender balance on patrols, and functionality of facilities. Lessons learned and emerging good practices will be documented to inform future scale-up.
The project aims to improve the operational environment for women uniformed peacekeepers in UNMISS by addressing long-standing logistical and gender-specific barriers that limit their full participation in long-duration patrols and remote deployments. Through the provision of relocatable ablution facilities and portable sanitation equipment, the initiative will enhance the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of women deployed in challenging field conditions.
Improved access to gender-responsive infrastructure is expected to increase the participation of women peacekeepers in field operations, strengthen confidence among Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries (TCCs/PCCs) to deploy women to remote bases, and promote more equitable workload distribution within contingents.
In the longer term, the project will contribute to the realization of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy (UGPS) by fostering a more inclusive, gender-responsive, and operationally effective peacekeeping environment.
How a network is supporting women peacekeepers, UNMISS, 14 October 2024
