An interactive quiz session to test a group of youth on their knowledge about the working of the United Nations is in progress.

Moses Ujua is spot on about the work of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

“Protection of civilians, creating conditions for humanitarian assistance, supporting the peace agreement, and monitoring and investigating human rights,” he says.

Fellow youth cheer him on and he is awarded a much-coveted hard copy of the revitalized peace agreement.

Joyce Abaha also nails her response, about the date the International Women’s Day is celebrated.

“Eighth of March,” she says confidently as she smiles broadly, jabbing the air in delight as other youth applaud her answer.

She is also awarded a copy of the agreement, which she says she will read from cover to cover, and understand it.

Moses and Joyce and the others, at this workshop are not your ordinary youth. All the 50 participants have been drawn from South Sudan’s main political party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Youth League, and represent youth from across the country.

As part of a two-day workshop being held in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, the sessions are aimed at sensitizing the youth about the mandate and work of UNMISS; rules and regulations surrounding the Status of Forces Agreement, signed by both the peacekeeping Mission and the government to establish the mission, and various key areas around the revitalized peace agreement, signed in September 2018.

“You are the future. Young people of South Sudan are peace ambassadors today and future leaders tomorrow,” says the UNMISS Communications and Public Information Office head, Francesca Mold.

“We, as the youth of the SPLM, we are standing for peace for sure,” says Abaha who also doubles up as the Youth League Secretary of External Relations.

“This workshop will help us more to understand what’s going on in the agreement, and then about the role of the youth. It will help us understand the mandate of UNMISS in South Sudan, because many of the youth outside do not know the mandate of UNMISS in South Sudan,” says Joyce. “I am so hopeful that when we go out of this workshop we will work together,” she adds.

According to Abaha, youth in the country have oftentimes protested the presence of the United Nations Mission in the country, but their new-found knowledge will help bridge the gaps.

Those in attendance also listened as officials from UNMISS underscored various regulations that the mission abides by, under a Status of Forces Agreement.

A separate simplified session presented by the Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission (JMEC), on the revitalized peace agreement heard that the peace agreement was progressing positively despite some challenges, where non-signatories to the agreement were being involved in skirmishes.

“The youth of South Sudan represent the hopes and the dreams of this country, and it becomes vitally important that the peace agreement be implemented, not only in letter, but in spirit,” said JMEC’s Thomson Fontaine. “My hope is that out of this, the youth will understand that there is good progress being made and that they can then go back to various constituencies and spread the word that the peace agreement is on the right track and it needs to be supported and sustained.”

In his opening remarks, an older official from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement challenged the youth to develop their country and ensure that a revitalized peace agreement signed more than four months ago is upheld.

“You are the ones who fought the war. You should be the ones also to develop this country and devise ways and means for this peace to be sustainable,” said Kuol Atem. “There is no [other] way, because it is you who fought the war, and it should be you [who] also [should] tell us: no for war, yes for development,” he said.