The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday launched the South Sudan Accelerator Lab and the 2019 Human Development Report (HDR) in Juba on Monday.

The event was launched under the theme, “Accelerating Impact for South Sudan’s Transformation: Beyond Income, Beyond Averages, and Beyond Today.” 

The 2019 HDR aims to inform stakeholders in the development space about salient new dimensions of inequality, while the Accelerator Lab focuses on elevating and scaling local solutions to development challenges in South Sudan.

 “Inequality in South Sudan persists because of the endemic poverty in our communities and makes it difficult for political decisions to reflect the aspirations of the society,” said Deputy Minister of Finance John Dor Majok, who presided over the event. 

A panel discussion chaired by Presidential Advisor for Economic Affairs  Aggrey Tisa Sabuni anchored the programme, and featured Member of the National Dialogue and SPLM secretariat, Peter Lam Both; COO of m-Gurush, Mr. Mou Ambrose Tiik; Entrepreneur and Participant in the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme 2019, Ms. Luris Mulla; and Member of East Africa Youth Parliament and co-founder of Oxygen Girls Foundation of South Sudan, Ms. Grace Aguil Garang.

“The real drivers of inequality, poverty, and unemployment have to do with putting a proper governance system in place. It means well-established strong institutions which can deliver services to the people. It means a merit-based civil service which are able to come forward and implement public policies which address these issues,” said Aggrey Tisa Sabuni. 

The panelists further emphasized the role of public policies to support aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as financial inclusion and economic empowerment of women.

“To support the development aspirations of South Sudan and eventually achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must leave no one behind. Human development cannot wait. That is why we must accelerate the way in which we work,” said Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. Alain Noudehou.

The report’s new data and methods were highlighted during a presentation by UNDP economists on how inequality affects people’s lives in a way that measures based on averages cannot. South Sudan’s Human Development Index value for 2018 is 0.413— which put the country in the low human development category—positioning it at 186 out of 189 countries and territories.

“There is still more needed to build capabilities in South Sudan for improving human development: in education, health, income, rights, and gender parity.  What the young people here today are looking for is a South Sudan where people are happy, where rules are followed, where rights are protected and where young people are free to pursue their dreams in peace and stability,” said Dr. Kamil Kamaluddeen, UNDP South Sudan Resident Representative.

Dr. Kamaluddeen thanked donor partners Germany, Italy, and Qatar for their vision and support of the initiative.

“The Accelerator Lab is people. People with aspirations and motivation to make a change, as we see in those of you gathered here today. Its role is to stimulate innovation and it has the potential to be catalytic to the next generation of development solutions,” said Embassy of Germany’s Head of Cooperation Ms. Janika Walter.

The South Sudan Accelerator Lab is focused on alleviating poverty through youth employment and empowerment, private sector and value chain development by elevating and scaling local solutions to development challenges. It is located within UNDP South Sudan’s office and is part of UNDP’s global Lab Network now operating in more than 60 countries.