2 March 2017 – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) received two certificates of appreciation from the University of Juba today as the Mission and local universities in Juba organized the UNMISS Peace Fair along with the opening ceremony for the Inter-University Peace League.

During the ceremony that took place at the University of Juba’s football field, Vice Chancellor, John Akec, handed out one of the certificates to David Shearer, Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) in South Sudan, and expressed his gratitude to UNMISS for having worked closely with university partners to organize the event and bring young people from different communities together. The other certificate was given to the UNMISS Japanese engineering contingent for their support to renovate the university’s football pitch.

The UNMISS Peace Fair and Inter-University Peace League were organized by the University of Juba, Upper Nile University, Catholic University and UNMISS, and serve as a face-to-face platform to explain the Mission’s priorities and achievements directly to university students.

Setting up the booths and interacting with hundreds of university students were civilian teams from the UN mission such as Child Protection, Civil Affairs, Conduct and Discipline, Gender, Human Rights, Public Information, Relief, Reintegration and Protection, and Women Protection. The UN Police and force components like Sector South, Bangladesh and Japanese engineering contingents also came to showcase video footage of their activities.

Speaking to more than 1,000 attendees, Mr. Shearer explained about the roles of UNMISS, emphasizing that “[peacekeepers] come here from all over the world with one purpose and one purpose only. That is to work and assist the people of South Sudan. They have left their families behind. They have left their countries behind to just do that.”   Listen here for the full statement of the SRSG https://audioboom.com/posts/5664606-unmiss-chief-gives-university-students-vital-tips-at-opening-of-peace-fair

Mr. Shearer also commended university students on pursuing higher education, saying that “Universities are the places where ideas come together, and people get ideas and take them further into their later life. Students, you are the future of South Sudan. You are the future leaders of South Sudan as well.”

Additionally, the head of the UN mission stressed that universities be inclusive, impartial and the “protectors of free speech, not hate speech,” and encouraged speeches that are about positive transformation of societies. “I’m so pleased to see that the President of Juba University Students’ Union is a woman here. She could be the next President of South Sudan.”

Yien Oral Lam Tut , Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, said in his keynote speech that sports is a priority of his ministry. “Sports creates family life for those who are engaged in it. Sports build and destroy barriers between societies, nations and those who are participants.”

The minister also thanked the SRSG for prioritizing his effort by visiting different regions in South Sudan to get first-hand information about the country.

Other attendees of the event include, among others, Professor Isaac Cuir, Vice Chancellor from Upper Nile University, Father Matthew Pagan, Vice Chancellor from Catholic University, Masahiko Kiya, Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan, Dr. Salah Khatir Jubarah, Registrar of Administration and Simon Mijok Mijak, Dean of Students’ Affairs from the University of Juba.

During the ceremony, UNMISS military contingents from China, Japan and Rwanda showcased special performances from their own countries. Chinese peacekeepers performed the Sichuan opera, face-changing and Kung-fu. The Japanese contingent brought in an entire traditional festival, called “Nebuta,” from their region along with a giant float, and the Rwandan battalion danced to express the beauty of their country and importance of gender balance.

Later in the day, more than 3,000 spectators attended the opening match that was held at the University of Juba. Team A from the University of Juba beat Catholic University by 3-2.