The World’s Smallest Nation at the Crossroads – Global Issues
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UNITED NATIONS, Aug 13 (IPS) – Thirteen years after becoming an independent country, South Sudan is facing major humanitarian challenges. South Sudan’s first Independence Day was filled with great hope.
I remember the crowds cheering in the streets, waving the country’s new flag high. Thirteen years later, the world’s youngest nation, still in its prime, faces major challenges.
At the heart of South Sudan’s challenges is a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions. Considering that seven million of the country’s 12.4 million people are expected to face severe hunger this year, and nine million are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, the gravity of the situation cannot be overstated.
One in ten people do not have access to electricity. 70 percent do not have access to basic health care. These are basic human rights that most people are deprived of.
I saw firsthand the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan when I visited that country in March. I met women and children displaced by the conflict – some for the second time in their lives – at a transit center in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile region. They had nothing and were completely dependent on help. Their grief is still in my mind and heart.
As it celebrates its 13th anniversary of independence, South Sudan finds itself at an important juncture in its nation-building journey.
Humanitarian aid alone cannot solve the problems facing South Sudan. A holistic approach is needed—one that lays the foundation for self-sufficiency, peace and sustainable development.
As the constitution-making process continues and elections are around the corner, the efforts we make today will shape the country’s trajectory for generations to come. We must strengthen institutions, promote stability and empower the youth—the forces that drive the nation’s aspirations for progress and prosperity.
Humanitarian aid alone cannot solve the problems facing South Sudan. A holistic approach is needed—one that lays the foundation for self-sufficiency, peace and sustainable development.
Central to this is the empowerment of women and girls, who face disproportionate challenges and vulnerabilities in the face of conflict, migration and climate change. Gender-based violence (GBV), child marriage and maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions that prioritize the rights and dignity of women and girls.
When I visited Malakal, I met young women whose stories painted a clear story for me about the obstacles they face every day—from fearing for their safety to feeling unable to talk about their hopes and aspirations, or being denied employment opportunities. .
It shouldn’t be this way.
Our operational team is working hard to improve the lives of women and girls in South Sudan. I was impressed by the courts in Juba, built with the support of UNDP, which focus on dealing with violence against women. We also work to ensure the inclusion of women in peacebuilding programs, promote gender equality and create opportunities for women and youth to succeed.
But much remains to be done.
With 75 percent of the population consisting of young people, they represent South Sudan’s biggest challenge and its most promising asset. Neglecting to invest in youth is like neglecting the future of the country itself—a risk we cannot afford to take.
Their voice must be heard, their aspirations promoted and their power unleashed.
South Sudan is at a crossroads.
With the right support, the country has the potential to create a future defined by hope, greater prosperity and stability for all. Another deepening of an already deep and long-standing crisis.
South Sudan cannot walk this path alone. It needs support that goes beyond its borders to overcome the many challenges it faces. Increased development cooperation—the kind that helps people break the cycle of crisis and build safe, stable, resilient and resilient lives—is urgently needed.
My hope is to come back in 10 years and see the families I met at the Malakal transit center settled in peace, their children are grown and developing, they live in stability and have access to all the resources they need to support them and grow their hopes and aspirations for the future.
This is what progress looks like.
Noda’s voice he is the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and the Director of the UNDP Crisis Bureau
The source: Africa Renewal, the digital magazine of the United Nations that talks about economic, social and political development in Africa—as well as the challenges facing the continent and their solutions by Africans themselves, including the support of the United Nations and the international community.
IPS UN Bureau
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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