A/HRC/45/CRP.4 to take all necessary steps to facilitate commencement of operations of the CTRH by June 2020, and the HCSS and CRA by August 2020.58 Strengthening civil society engagement in South Sudan 78. The Commission reiterates its calls to all stakeholders engaged in peacebuilding in South Sudan to develop and deploy targeted measures aimed at enhancing the capacities of civil society to effectively organise, collaborate, coordinate, and scale up its participation in transitional justice processes. A strengthened civil society movement, including conflictaffected individuals and communities, and citizens drawn from all spheres, has the potential to stand as a strong bulwark against political machinations to undermine the realisation of victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparation. Support measures should prioritise the provision of adequate and long-term financial and technical resources to facilitate the operation of civil society organisations, including in remote and marginalised areas of South Sudan; provision of psychosocial and rehabilitation measures, especially to address on-going trauma within affected communities; and safety of victims, survivors, human rights defenders, and documentation databases. Moreover, political actors, including the IGAD, RJMEC, and the African Union should create spaces for robust engagement with civil society as critical actors in monitoring and implementation of the R-ARCSS and transitional justice processes. 79. In the wake of the December 2013 conflict, various civil society actors have emerged and provided perspectives on prospects for transitional justice in South Sudan, including on the design and formation of Chapter V mechanisms. Notably, the South Sudan Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) was constituted in 2015 to facilitate a coordinated and unified engagement of civil society in transitional justice processes. The TJWG consists of seven core non-governmental organisations that work in collaboration with a broad-based group of non-State actors, women’s groups, and faith-based organisations across the 10 states of South Sudan. Its main activities include documentation of human rights violations, promoting public awareness, advocacy, and linkages between national and international stakeholders and formal mechanisms to support implementation of Chapter V of the RARCSS.59 More recently, the South Sudan Civil Society Forum was established in December 2017 as a unified platform for civil society participation in the High-Level Revitalisation Forum. The South Sudan Civil Society Forum consists of more than 200 civic groups, including civil society organisations, women and youth groups, academia, and communityand faith-based organisations from across South Sudan with an interest in promoting “peace, freedom and respect for human dignity.”60 80. A survey conducted by the South Sudan Civil Society Forum in 2018 to assess citizens’ perspectives on the peace process and its outcome, demonstrates the potential of, and proposes an enhanced role for, civic actors in steering dialogue, promoting awareness, and providing oversight to support a people-owned and driven transitional justice process in South Sudan.61 However, limited financial and human resources and technical and logistical capacities pose significant barriers to the ability of civil society actors to reach their full potential to inform and influence transitional justice processes in South Sudan. These capacity gaps are compounded by the mounting State suppression of civic space, particularly targeting civic actors involved in creating awareness and promotion of accountability and justice for conflict-related violations (see paras. 36 and 37, above).62 81. In readiness for anticipated transitional justice processes, the Commission urges civil society actors to prioritise the consolidation of documentation efforts on incidents, patterns, and victims of human rights violations; public awareness campaigns on the R-ARCSS and Chapter V measures; identification and organisation of victims and survivors, especially in 58 See R-ARCSS Articles 5.1.1, 5.2.1.2, 5.2.2.5, and 5.4; and R-JMEC, R-ARCSS (2018); Implementation Matrix for the period February 2020 to March 2023. 59 See http://tjwgsouthsudan.org/about. 60 See South Sudan Peace Portal, available at https://www.southsudanpeaceportal.com/repository/revitalizing-peace-in-south-sudancitizen-perceptions-of-the-peace-process. 61 Revitalizing Peace in South Sudan – Citizens Perceptions of the Peace Process, Survey by the South Sudan Civil Society Forum (SSCSF) – November 2018 62 Transitional Justice Working Group Strategic Plan 2016-2021, assessment of external threats, http://tjwgsouthsudan.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/10/Transitional-Justice-Working-Group-South-Sudan-Strategic-Plan-2016-2021-Web-version.pdf. 17