With the generous support from the Government of Japan, the South Sudan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and UNDP are working together on a multi-functional project which aims to support public financial management through improved national, state, and county-level government capacity to collect non-oil revenues.

The Global Fund County Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for South Sudan held a workshop to develop communication strategy in Juba on January 12 – 17, 2017. The strategy is expected to address the internal and external communication needs for the CCM in order to improve engagement with its constituencies and stakeholders in South Sudan.

In June 2016, UNDP launched a national entrepreneurship and enterprise development programme to train current and aspiring young entrepreneurs. By the end of the year, 110 men and women participated in the programme, drawn from a wide-ranging selection of business sectors including vegetable and poultry farming, printing and photocopying, hairdressing, logistics, IT services, engineering, construction, transportation, and public services.

More than 700 people participated in peace debates under the theme of "Strengthening the Social Fabrics of South Sudan" in Bor, Wau and Rumbek.

The United Nations Development Programme and UN Women jointly launched the Africa Development Report 2016 under the theme “Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa” in Juba on Monday. The event brought together government ministers, civil society, academia, and the private sector for an interactive panel discussion on the key findings of the report and how they apply to South Sudan.

The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) – a coalition of civil society organisations engaged in transitional justice initiatives – launched their five-year strategic plan in Juba, South Sudan. Opening the ceremony, Reverend James Ninrew, Acting Coordinator of the TWJG and Executive Director of Assistance Mission for Africa (AMA), invited civil society to “join forces for the benefit of truth, justice, reconciliation and healing in South Sudan.”

The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs officially launched the technical committee established to conduct a national consultative process on the establishment of the Commission on Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, during a meeting of high-level officials at Juba Landmark Hotel.

The Local Government Board (LGB) and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA) of the Republic of South Sudan organised the third Annual Rule of Law Forum for Traditional Leaders in Juba. The forum provided a platform for traditional leaders to have discussions on the potential of harnessing traditional justice mechanisms to address legacies of conflict in South Sudan and promote reconciliation and sustainable peace.

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Regional Initiative for Capacity Enhancement in South Sudan finalized a series of workshops aimed at reviewing the progress, strengths, opportunities, and challenges of mentoring South Sudanese civil servants, which responds to sections of the country’s Peace Agreement that emphasize the rehabilitation and reformation of South Sudan’s civil service.

Laura Poni Hatim is a married mother of five children, two boys and three girls. She is a social worker at the Special Protection Unit of the State Ministry of Education, Gender and Social Welfare office in Yambio. Every morning she leaves her children with their grandmother and walks 45 minutes to reach her office where she is completely dedicated to supporting and assisting victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Joyce Dawa, from Torit County, suffered violence in her marriage for more than three years. When she was 14, her parents forced her to marry and she had to drop out of school. Joyce’s story is not uncommon in South Sudan. Gender inequalities are particularly salient in the new country. Women and girls find themselves deprived of justice in customary laws due to certain cultural traditions, which often restrict women’s opportunities to fully participate in the socio economic realm of their communities whilst also making them more vulnerable to abuse.

Participants receive certificates from the Chairperson of the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission Hon. Chuol Rambang, the Chairperson of the Bureau of Community Security and Small Arms Control (BCSSAC) Lt. Gen. Andrew Kuol Nyuon, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Eugene Owusu, at the awards ceremony of the Youth Innovation Challenge for Peace in Juba, South Sudan.

Policy makers, political leaders, and public service officials met in South Sudan on Tuesday to discuss disaster risk reduction and its linkages with sustainable development and community resilience building.

The workshop is part of UNDP’s multi-year effort, supported by the Government of Japan, to strengthen the ability of state governments to move towards non-oil revenues, sustainably expand the domestic resource base, and efficiently allocate these resources in a transparent and equitable manner for service delivery.

Thousands of people from Yirol and Awerial communities gathered on Thursday for an unconventional peacebuilding activity: wrestling.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) remains at crisis levels in South Sudan. Women become target during conflict. 25 November is the International Day to End Violence against Women, kicking off the #16days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security is designed to address this and must be implemented. Under UNSCR 1325, the Security Council reinforces the fact that in all armed conflicts women should not just be looked at as helpless victims of war and violence, but they should be fully recognized as having active and critical roles as peacebuilders, politicians, community leaders and activists and should be actively involved in all peace resolution and reconstruction processes.

The National Prisons Service of South Sudan (NPSSS) feted the graduation of the first batch of 226 inmates and prison staff trained in eight trades at the Vocational Training Centre in Juba Central Prison.