In light on the ongoing mission configuration, effective 1 January 2018, the former Civil Affairs and Community Stabilization Sections have merged into a new Section called Governance and Community Stabilization Section (GCSS).
GCSS is a civilian component in UNAMID that works at the social, administrative and sub-national political levels to facilitate the implementation of the UNAMID mandate and to support the population and the Government of Sudan in creating and strengthening conditions as well as structures conducive to sustainable peace in Darfur. GCSS is tasked to capitalize on existing mechanisms for community support projects through the use of programmatic funding and to intensify support to communities at the grass roots level. With presence in the deep field and in Khartoum, GCSS is the interface for UNAMID and local communities in Darfur.
GCSS supports the Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission and the Darfur Security Arrangement Implementation Commission in the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of signatory Darfuri armed movements, in line with the final security arrangements of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, and any subsequent agreement entered into by the parties to the Darfur peace process. GCSS also supports initiatives led by the Government for community security and arms control to stabilize communities under the threat of violence or prone to conflict.
GCSS’s mandate also focuses on addressing inter-communal conflicts, through the existing state-level coordination mechanisms in partnership with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT). Building on existing conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution efforts of Darfur state governments and native administrations, GCSS prioritizes its interventions in this area to those inter-communal conflicts which have the potential (a) to cause the highest number of casualties and (b) to derail national political processes. Within the framework of these priorities, GCSS implements a strategy based on comparative advantages to address inter-communal conflicts to support state and local governments in developing action plans on the prevention, mitigation and resolution of inter-communal conflicts and, jointly with the UNCT, supports the development and implementation of a legal and institutional framework to address its root causes.
In addition to enhancing the implementation of community stabilization projects in targeted areas, GCSS in consultation with state authorities, mission substantive sections, UNCT and other local major stakeholders conducts a comprehensive situational analysis and needs assessment to identify possible projects for intervention in the wider Jebel Marra area and in support of returns across Darfur. GCSS also prioritizes projects that directly aim at reducing local violence and preventing the recruitment of youth at-risk by armed groups and other non-state actors.