Speech of Ambassador Pelle at the Friends of Conservation Event

FRIENDS OF CONSERVATION

FOURTH SESSION

13 August 2026, Venue: EU Delegation to South Sudan – Conference room

REMARKS BY EU AMBASSADOR H.E. PELLE ENARSSON 

Honourable Denay Jock Chagor, Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, 

Honourable Sarah Nyanath Elijah Yong, Minister of Culture, Museums and National Heritage

Excellencies, Representatives of the Government of South Sudan, Development Partners, the United Nations, Civil Society Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is a great honour and pleasure to welcome you all to the EU Compound, together with my colleague David Ashley, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom.

Today’s discussion is both timely and important, as we come together to discuss a shared objective: aligning wildlife, land and community governance for people, biodiversity and sustainable development. 

I am glad that the EU and the UK could host this fourth session of the Friends of Conservation, keeping up the momentum around conservation in South Sudan. Indeed, we have recently assisted to many key events related to the conservation sector, which bring us here today. 

Just a few days ago, we learnt about the inscription of the Great Nile Migration Landscape into the UNESCO heritage list. We celebrated this milestone on the World Nature Conservation Day. And just before that, we had the chance to discuss about South Sudan's rangelands, wildlife and pastoral production systems as strategic national assets during the policy dialogue on rangelands, pastoralism and wildlife.

South Sudan is endowed with globally significant biodiversity, which is vital not only for conservation, but also for livelihoods, food security, climate resilience, and national identity. At the same time, in a post-conflict environment, the governance of land, wildlife, and natural resources is closely linked to peace, stability, and community protection. This is why conservation must be anchored in the rule of law, aligned with national development priorities, as well as pursued through community engagement and people-centred, rights-based and conflict-sensitive approaches. 

The Wildlife Conservation and Protected Areas Act (2026) is therefore a significant milestone. It provides a revised legal foundation for conservation and sustainable use, and importantly, it recognises community-based conservancies. This opens a real opportunity to position communities as rights-holders, stewards, and economic actors, not merely beneficiaries. 

Our discussion today should focus not only on the promise of the law, but on what is required for effective implementation. That includes clarity on land tenure, better alignment between the Wildlife Act, the Land Act, and the emerging National Land Policy, stronger institutional coordination, and meaningful engagement with communities, traditional authorities, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth. 

We also know that durable conservation cannot succeed through protected areas alone. The discussion on community-led conservation is so important because governance and tenure are central to long-term protection, and because much of the country’s ecological value and wildlife movement lies beyond formally protected areas. 

This concept is central to the rationale for the EU support to conservation in South Sudan. Let me highlight that the EU currently supports two important landscapes: (i) the transboundary Great Nile Migration Landscape, in partnership with AfricanParks and (ii) the Latoto National Park and the Kidepo Game Reserve, in partnership with Enjojo Foundation, VSF Germany and Saferworld. Additionally, the EU supports the Southern National Park and 2 game reserves in Western Equatoria, in partnership with Flora and Fauna International. Our interventions reflect the approach of NaturAfrica, the European Union’s flagship initiative for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Africa. Conservation, socio-economic development and governance go hand in hand to ensure sustainable, long-term impact. 

I hope today’s session will help us build shared understanding, identify practical next steps, and strengthen collaboration among government institutions, traditional authorities, conservation partners, donors, and communities. Let us leave this meeting with clearer priorities, clearer responsibilities, and stronger commitment to coordinated action, to contribute to the implementation of the new law and to South Sudan’s broader development and governance agenda. 

Thank you.