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Juba to host international Women’s leadership conference

By Emelda Siama John
South Sudan is set to host its first ever International Conference on Women’s Transformational Leadership in Juba from 13-to-15 February 2023.
The office of the Vice President for Gender and Youth Cluster, together with the United Nations and the National Transformational Leadership Institute announced yesterday that they will convene an international women’s leadership conference to be held in Juba under the theme: “Transformational Leadership in Women Peace and Security”.
The conference dubbed (Guwa Ta Mara) an Arabic phrase meaning “Strength of a Woman” will bring together high-level delegates including high profile Africa and Global leaders, former President of Liberia, and other presidents, Nobel Laureates senior UN officials and Women leaders of South Sudan.   
The conference will also host the former and current heads of state and Government, ministers responsible for Gender, Trade, humanitarian Affairs, development partners, and philanthropic, women entrepreneurs including young women policymakers and faith-based organizations.
First founding director of the national transformational leadership institute at University of Juba, Dr. Angelina Matidio Bazuba, said she was happy to work with the Office of Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng and the national ministry of Gender together with UN partners and other development partners to organize the international women leadership conference.
Dr. Matidio said the National Transformational Leadership Institute launched in 2016, has since then remained the champion of transformative leadership in South Sudan.
“I have seen a trained number of women and men climbing the ladder to various decision making stretchers, we thought that this is an important time for us to come together to reflect on the achievement that we have experienced so far and gain a strategic plan” she said.
She further said, they are involved into the transitional period where quite a number of laws and policies are capped and recapped and they are looking forward to having elections.
She stressed that the issues of putting gender as central in terms of development are very critical.
“We need to have women together to reflect and see how we can gain experience from others but also share our own experience to see how we can move to another level” she noted.
Matidio said it’s very instrumental that they are bringing in young people, who shall be able to inspire those who have achieved more and those who have undergone a number of leadership experience in the continent and beyond.
Meanwhile Executive Director in the Office of Vice President for Gender and Youth Cluster, David Dau, said that they all agreed to address the issues of gender in those nations and this is how the genesis of the idea to call for international Women leaders’ conference came about.
He noted that the purpose of the conference was to bring women with experience and expertise from the international community, from the continent of Africa, and from the republic of South Sudan to come and share ideas of their life experiences of leadership and struggle.
“The expected outcome is to inspire young women and women of old ages in South Sudan, and to present them opportunity to learn from others that have gone through the difficulties of war and after recovering from war and all the struggle that we went through in South Sudan” he said.

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