Top humanitarian official reiterates call for peace and security

23 Apr 2015

Top humanitarian official reiterates call for peace and security

22 April 2015 - It was vital to have a safe environment for the South Sudanese people, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in South Sudan and UN Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer said in Juba today.

“What I would like to see is re-establishment of peace and security,” said Mr. Lanzer in an interview with Radio Miraya. “What we all want to see is re-establishment of rule of law… We want to see the re-establishment of oil production. We want to see resources flowing into this country, businesses opening, jobs being created. We want to see children in school. We want to see the youth being trained in different vocations and we want them to get jobs.”

The top humanitarian official in the country described the current economic climate in South Sudan as “difficult”, noting that revenue collections have gone down by three quarters.

He attributed this to effects of violence and conflict on oil production, in addition to the drop in the global oil prices by over 50 per cent in some parts of the world.

Mr. Lanzer stressed that humanitarian organizations will continue to play their complementary role in the areas of agriculture, education and health among others.

In a press statement issued yesterday in his capacity as Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Mr. Lanzer noted that UN agencies’ had continued their development work in support of the people and key institutions of South Sudan.

“Our work has continued throughout the crisis which has enveloped the nation since December 2013,” he said. “Over the past 16 months, UNDP has worked in key areas such as economic planning and finance, law, and reconciliation.”

Mr. Lanzer gave examples of the agency providing technical support to the Aid Coordination Office in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to better account for and manage aid flows into South Sudan.

“UNDP completed the construction of the Juba University’s College of Law, trained key personnel in criminal justice and case management, and provided legal texts,” he said.

“The agency has provided financial, organizational and management support to the National Platform for Peace and Reconciliation to carry out its crucial work to reduce tensions between key communities,” he added.

Mr. Lanzer said in coming months, UNDP plans to further accelerate its engagement in South Sudan. He said the agency will work with the Ministry of Labour and key institutions in seven states to ‘twin’ civil servants from neighbouring countries with their counterparts here.

He added that UNDP will also expand its collaboration with the Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.