UN launches women leadership inclusion project in South Sudan

By Kitab Unango

The United Nations (UN) Women on Thursday launched three-year women’s leadership and political inclusion project in South Sudan.

The project worth $ 2 millon aims to improve women’s participation in politics and governance ahead of the upcoming December 2024 general elections.

Mary Nawai Martin, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs said women inclusion in leadership positions is key to influence decisions ending perpetual violence against women in the country.

“The participation of women in politics is fundamental and a right of every young woman, it allows women to raise voices and seek solutions to redress challenges they face,” she said during the launch in Juba.

The project will also support the full implementation of 35 percent affirmative action for women under the 2018 revitalized peace deal.

Nawai said sexual and gender -based violence, gender imbalances in employment, low rate of girls’ enrolment in school, early and forced marriages as some of the main hindrances to women emancipation.

 Peterson Magoola, the country representative of UN Women in South Sudan, called on the government to allocate enough funds in the 2023/24 fiscal budget capacity building for women leaders.

“As we go through processes towards elections, it is really timely that women are prepared to participate in this coming elections, this is the time women should acquire skills and lay foundation for their participation in leadership positions,” Magoola said.

The women’s leadership and political inclusion project will be co-implemented by the UN Women in South Sudan and United Nations Development Programmme (UNDP).