USAID Systems to Uphold the Credibility and Constitutionality of Elections in South Sudan (SUCCESS) Annual Progress Report FY 2015

The program was implemented by Democracy International and covered the period from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015. The program's main objective was to increase the capacity of South Sudanese institutions to lead processes that citizens accept as legitimate. Component 1 of the program focused on increasing the capacity of the South Sudanese Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) to administer credible and transparent electoral processes. The EMBs were trained to engage more effectively with stakeholders to mitigate conflict. Component 1.1 aimed to ensure that EMBs administer credible and transparent electoral processes that citizens accept as legitimate. Component 1.2 focused on constitutional bodies implementing inclusive and participatory constitutional processes. Component 1.3 aimed to enhance the engagement of EMBs and constitutional bodies with stakeholders to mitigate conflict. Component 2 of the program focused on political parties within and outside of power more credibly representing core constituents. Component 2.1 aimed to ensure that political parties constructively participate based on issue-based platforms and candidates. The program provided training to political parties on membership registration, advocacy, and state membership registration security coordination. Component 2.2 focused on communities viewing elected legislators as legitimate representatives of their needs. Component 2.3 aimed to enhance the engagement of parties and legislators with stakeholders to mitigate conflict. Component 3 of the program focused on South Sudanese citizens being more aware of and involved in political processes. Component 3.1 aimed to ensure that targeted civil society organizations (CSOs) constructively participate in political processes based on issue-based platforms that represent core constituents. The program provided training to CSOs on advocacy methods and engagement with stakeholders to mitigate conflict. Component 3.2 focused on knowledgeable citizens constructively engaging with political processes. Component 3.3 aimed to enhance the engagement of CSOs with stakeholders to mitigate conflict. The program achieved several key outcomes, including the training of over 2,000 individuals in political party training, the assistance of over 100 CSOs in advocacy interventions, and the training of over 1,000 individuals in advocacy methods. The program also made significant progress in engaging with other USAID programs and South Sudanese governmental agencies. The program's sustainability and exit strategy were also discussed, with a focus on ensuring that the program's achievements were sustained beyond the project's lifespan.