9 February 2015 - Continued conflict in South Sudan would put the country at risk of losing a generation of children, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said in Juba today.

Ms. Amos was speaking at the end of a three-day trip with UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Special Envoy Forest Whitaker aimed at seeing “the day-to-day impact of the crisis on people caught in the middle of fighting”.

“It is heartrending to see the suffering of the people,” she said. “If the economic stagnation is not addressed, development and support to essential sectors like health and education cannot be sustained. People need peace, stability and security.”

During their visit, Ms. Amos and Mr. Whitaker met with President Salva Kiir and his ministers to discuss the humanitarian, economic and political situation.

“(We) agreed on the importance of stopping the violence, securing an immediate and sustainable peace,” she said. “It is also important to avert a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country. Thousands of children are suffering from malnutrition. The threat of hunger and disease is real.”

Mr. Whitaker pointed out the conflict’s brutal impact on children, noting that he had met boys and girls who were not being educated and were part of an estimated half a million young people who had dropped out of school.

“Thousands have been recruited by armed groups and are fighting wars instead of learning,” he said. “Only with peace can young people in South Sudan play an important role in rebuilding their lives and face the future without fear.”

Stressing that 2.5 million people urgently need food, Ms. Amos described the delegation’s visit to Ayod County in Jonglei State.

“People are desperate for peace. They are tired of living in fear. Many have had to flee several times,” she said. “… They are extremely worried for their children who are not in school and at risk of being recruited into armed groups. Sexual violence is rife. All people want is to live in safety, security and stability.”

In the state capital Bor, they met government officials including the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission Director, Gabriel Deng.

He pointed out that the state government faced resource constraints, although it was committed to doing more for the people.

Ms. Amos commended the generosity of the international community, which had contributed $1.4 billion in humanitarian assistance, making South Sudan’s humanitarian appeal the best- funded in the world. She noted the need to sustain this financial support to the country.

“Humanitarian organizations aim to help 4.1 million people in 2015 and the cost of that is $1.8 billion,” she said. “If we receive US$600 million of that by the end of February, we can take advantage of the dry season – which lasts until May – to reach more people in need and to pre-position supplies.”