By Charles K Mark
Youth Leaders from Eastern, Central, and Western Equatoria states have scheduled for February 2024 to conduct Unified Greater Equatoria Youth Leaders Conference.
The conference is meant to promote unity, peace, and development within the Equatoria region.
Charles Lado Daniel, chairperson of the Central Equatoria State Youth Union, disclosed that the conference will take place in Torit town, the capital of Eastern Equatoria State.
In a statement posted on the Central Equatoria Union’s Facebook page on Tuesday, the union outlined seven primary objectives that the conference will seek to attain.
First, the conference will seek to establish a common vision, strategic goals, and objectives for Equatoria youth organizations.
It will identify key challenges and outline strategies to overcome them are objectives; As well as energize change programs for the advancement of the Equatoria region.
The union also intends to use the conference as a platform for planning youth development initiatives to address present and future challenges.
The conference further seeks to encourage collaboration among youths towards shared goals, foster leadership skills, and promote responsible citizenship.
The Greater Equatoria Youth Conference aims to influence policies and decisions that impact youth and their communities.
“As members of Equatoria and South Sudan societies, youth deserve access to quality education, healthcare, employment opportunities, financial services, participation in public life, essential information, and basic necessities such as food and water.” The statement partly reads:
The leaders of the Western, Eastern and Central Equatoria Youth Unions stressed the importance of recognizing the unique perspectives and contributions of youth in order to fully realize their potential.
“It is essential to clarify that the Equatoria Youth Leaders Conference will not advocate for specific political leaders or party interests. The focus of Equatoria youth organizations and associations is strictly on advocating for youth rights, development, safety, freedom of speech, and association,” the statement continued.
The youth union leaders believe that investing in youth is an investment in human capital, likely to yield significant returns for national and global development.
The unions think empowering youth and preventing potential challenges such as school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, juvenile delinquency, armed rebellions, and crime can help create a brighter future for South Sudan.