6 July 2012 - South Sudan had achieved as much in one year of independence as other countries had accomplished in decades, a UN official in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State said today in the capital Aweil.

"We have had the Political Parties' Act, which encourages political pluralism, the anti-corruption bill and other measures that would enhance the national Legislative Assembly and the separation of powers," UNMISS State Coordinator Seth Kumi said at an UNMISS reception to celebrate the country's first independence anniversary.

Some of the leading democracies in the world had taken decades to reach a point where all its people could participate in political processes as outlined in the South Sudanese measures, the State Coordinator said.

With its many untapped resources to enhance development, South Sudan could also become one of the leading countries in Africa, Mr. Kumi told the gathering, which included officials from the state government, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations.

"South Sudan has the ... potential for agriculture to feed the entire African continent and, most importantly, a youthful population that is eager for knowledge and development," he said.

With the Security Council renewing UNMISS' mandate for another year, Mr. Kumi said the mission should engage more in communal policing, an integrated approach to peacebuilding and capacity building. It should also take a leading role in involving more women in key decision-making positions in the state.

"Another issue of concern, because Northern Bahr El-Ghazal shares a boundary with Sudan, is paragraph six of the new (UNMISS mandate) resolution – to establish a joint monitoring and verification mission," the State Coordinator said.

"Before the full deployment of that mission, our role in the UN would be to report any flow of arms to rebel movements in South Sudan from Sudan and we are going to take that role very seriously," he said.

Mr. Kumi added that protection of civilians remained a vital part of the UNMISS mandate. UNMISS must be in a position where it could take minimum necessary measures within its capabilities to protect civilians in imminent danger.

"One of the things that has been very troubling to South Sudanese is why the UNMISS was unable to prevent the aerial bombardment or .... (undertake) protection of civilians that were living around the border areas," he added.

"We would like to explain that our mandate was clearly spelled out -- that we operate where we were deployed and we did not have any anti-aircraft (guns) or missiles," said Mr. Kumi. "We were therefore unable to do anything in respect of the aerial bombardment."

Representing the state governor, Albino Madhan Anei thanked UNMISS for cooperating with the Northern Bahr El-Ghazal government over the last year, expressing hope that this partnership would remain unchanged.