Esteemed readers and partners,
UNFPA South Sudan brings you the first quarter Newsletter for the year 2023. This is a collection of stories highlighting the UNFPA South Sudan Country Office’s response as it works around the Humanitarian, Development, and Peace Nexus.
In this edition, focus has been put on interventions around economic empowerment for women and girls to prevent Gender Based Violence (GBV), raising the voices of women at national and global platforms as well as efforts to enhance the dignity of vulnerable women and girls. The newsletter also reflects on access to reproductive health, engagement of young people to make informed choices on their reproductive health and capacity building of health workers as a critical strategy for improving health and developing a prosperous nation.
The month of March was important for UNFPA with the commemoration of International Women’s Day which UNFPA actively took part in. A number of events included the International Conference on Women’s Transformational Leadership which was opened by HE Salvar Kiir Mayardit, the President of South Sudan and brought together around 400 influential women from across the globe and the UNFPA East and Southern Regional Director. Additional high-level engagements held include CSW67 side event for South Sudan in New York which was led by the Vice President H.E Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior who took the opportunity to highlight to the global community the challenges that confront women in the country, as well as their resilience and agency, including the strides the Government (and partners) in supporting their empowerment.
As is the case in the traditional African context, families gather around fires in the evening to share stories, the UNFPA supported the GoSS to hold a “TUKUL TALKS” to encourage inter-generational collaboration, surrogating the vision from the country’s elders to the young people around the peace building process. The event brought together young people from a cross section of society with representation from the Office of the President led by the key Ministers in the current Government.
UNFPA remains firmly committed to intensifying efforts and partnerships (including with South Sudan’s talented creative industry) towards improving health and development outcomes for women, girls and young people by making the right choices about sexuality, engaging men to champion Reproductive Health and end GBV through positive masculinity.
UNFPA recommits its efforts to our core mission of supporting the delivering a a South Sudan where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
Through the UNFPA 4th Country Programme of assistance to the Government of South Sudan (2023-2025) which commenced implementation at the beginning of this year, I reaffirm commitment to collective efforts for the prosperity and wellbeing of the people of South Sudan.
