By Gladys Kole
United Nations Women and United Nations Development Programme have launched a project dubbed Women’s Leadership and Political Participation during South Sudan’s Transitional Period”, in Juba.
The United Nations Peace building Fund awarded the grant to UN Women and UNDP to implement the project from 2023 to 2025.
The project aims at confronting structural barriers deterring women’s participation, inclusion, and advocacy efforts in South Sudan.
It’s also a part of the UN’s continued support of women’s and young people’s effective engagement and participation in leadership and governance.
The goal of project marks specifically, women and young women at the margins of decision-making, political leadership, and participation in building social cohesion and peace.
UN Women’s country representative, Peterson Magoola said it is really time for partners and more so, the women of South Sudan, to take part in the coming elections when they are fully prepared.
Magoola said its ultimate time; women should be empowered and exposed to skills, knowledge, and strategies through which they can lay the foundations for their participation in leadership.
He called upon the government to invest resources in women’s leadership initiatives, saying the funds for peace building project were insufficient.
“With the peace building fund, we are talking about $ 2 million for the project. Looking at the scope of the needs of women in South Sudan, this is just a small drop” the UN women representative observed.
Magoola said issues of women’s leadership and GBV should be incorporated into the national budget and finance, adding they appreciate donors but it’s not enough.
“Invest more resources into the upcoming process of elections as we support women to learn how to campaign, nominate voters, and nominate resources for their campaigns,” he stressed.
Magoola also called for support to ensure that women are prepared.
Meanwhile, Titus Osundina, the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, stressed that a lot of effort is still required to increase women’s participation in decision-making.
UNDP is committed in partnership, which aims at promoting gender inequalities, women’s empowerment, reducing women’s vulnerability, and strengthening gender inclusiveness in this country, he said.
“The duration from 2023 to 2025 is critical to the mandate of the government of South Sudan to support the officialization of the UN Security Council resolution 2025 women, peace, and security,” he observed.
The UN Security Council resolution 2025, prioritizes women’s political participation.
Director General in the Ministry of Gender, child and Social Welfare, Regina Osa Lulo who represented the Minister said empowering women is important to enable them to raise their children.
“When a woman is empowered economically, she will not differentiate among her children. She will ensure the girl child also goes to school. She works hard to ensure paying fees of the girls,” she stressed.
The project further aimed at providing an exchange platform and strengthening partnerships with all stakeholders engaged in the project’s implementation.