Action for Conflict Resolution (ACR) in partnership with the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) on Thursday held a one-day training on youth participation in denouncing violence, good governance, and decision-making processes in the Unity State capital Bentiu.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj at the sidelines of the workshop, some participants voiced their demand for more youth employment and denounced violence and crime in the state.
Stephen Madit Padeng, a civil society representative, urged the youth to denounce violence and claim their rights.
“Today we have learned about our rights as youth and we have to claim them. We want to make sure that the youth are given technical skills to help them acquire jobs,” he stated.
Dhuol Jal, a member of the Unity State Youth League Council, pointed out a disproportion in employment opportunities in the state and urged the state government to empower youth to get access to jobs.
“This workshop is significant for us since it engaged the government and the youth in decision-making and good governance processes,” he said. “We are advocating for youth to get employed in ministries and all the state institutions.”
Meanwhile, the representative from the state’s local government ministry, Vincent Kur, said he will advocate for more youth employment opportunities in his ministry.
“In Unity State, the youth constitute only 35 percent of state government employees, the rest are old people and we are advocating for more jobs,” he said. “We want the number of youths employed in the government to increase and since the new governor is youth, we hope he will change the system so that more youth are absorbed. I am also requesting my ministry of local government to consider both genders for employment”
With funding from NPA, ACR facilitates dialogue among communities and promotes peaceful co-existence in South Sudan through training and sports events for children and youth. The organization was formed on 24 March 2014 and registered by the Government of South Sudan in 2015 to mitigate conflicts among the communities in South Sudan.