“The young people are supposed to guide this nation towards a positive direction, but at times the opposite is true. The young people are used to promote tribal agenda. The Ministry of Youth and Sports together with the UN, will engage the young people in sports and microfinance program and the presidency is soon rolling out the Youth Enterprise Fund, which will also act as a catalyst to end child marriage”. These were the words of Youth and Sports minister Hon. Albino Bol during the national event to mark the month-long celebration of International Youth Day 2022 at Nyakuron Cultural Center on August 24, 2022.

Hon. Albino stressed that child marriage is one of the root causes of economic hardships the country is grappling with, highlighting that it is why young girls are being auctioned in “marriage”. “The president has directed me to design the Youth Enterprise Fund for young people. This is going to be a means of empowering the girl-child’ added Hon. Albino.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Sara Beysolow Nyanti stressed that the International Youth Day should give a platform for the youth to speak about what the youth want; stressing that youth inclusivity should be about understanding what the youth want such that they sustain the nation, regardless of where they are.

 “The youth of today need to reimagine the nation they want.  Often times young people are shut out from making decisions. The time has come for us to look at how we can preserve culture and embrace the future” she said.

 

Laku Bonaparte, a youth who spoke on behalf of people living with disabilities appealed to the government and development partners to have people with disability included in their policies, programs, and development agenda in line with United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the year 2006.

The acting Youth Union Chairperson, Ms. Fernanda Paul Acuei urged the youth to claim their space, and speak up on issues affecting them. “Be responsible youths and work for the betterment of your country” she urged.

Hon. Bol, the Minister of Youth and Sports expressed gratitude to UNFPA for its unwavering support towards the cause of the young people in South Sudan.

The International Youth Day is globally celebrated to draw attention on the issues related to youth at international and national level. It is dedicated to shine spotlight on the role young people play in tackling global issues and achieving sustainable development goal (SDG). 

In addition to raising awareness of challenges and problems facing the world’s youth and amplifying young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, the Day is also about their meaningful, universal, and equitable contributions in fighting global issues of concern. 

Under the global theme “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”, adapted into the national theme, Intergenerational Solidarity: Building A South Sudan for All Ages!, this year’s International Youth Day recognizes the importance of all ages in achieving SDGs and addressing global Youth challenges and issues. It also recognizes the Youth contributions in addressing global issues in different ways. UNFPA, UNICEF, IOM together with a consortium of national NGOs under Shabab Le Shabab Network offered a wide range of activities highlighting youth participation in the country.