South Sudan, through the office of the Vice President for Youth and Gender Cluster, Rebecca Nyandeng, is set to hold the International Conference on Women’s Transformational Leadership from 13th -15th February 2023 in the capital Juba.

Briefing journalists on Wednesday ahead of the event, David Dau, the executive director in the office of VP Nyandeng, said the purpose of the conference is to address gender issues in South Sudan. 

According to Dau, the conference is meant to bring together high-level delegates including high-profile African and global women leaders, including the former President of Liberia and other presidents, Nobel Laureates, senior UN officials, and women leaders of South Sudan. 

"The purpose of the conference is to bring women with experience and experts from the international community, from the continent of Africa, and in the Republic of South Sudan to come and share ideas of life experience in leadership and the struggle,” Dau said. 

"The expected outcome is to inspire young women and women of all ages in South Sudan and to present the opportunity to learn from others that have gone through the difficulties of war and recovery after war and all the struggle that we went through in South Sudan," he added 

He pointed out that the conference, which targets 400 participants, will also host former and current heads of state and government; ministers responsible for gender, trade, and humanitarian affairs; development partners and philanthropic organizations; women entrepreneurs (including young women); policymakers and faith-based organizations.

Easter Ikere Eluzai, the undersecretary in the ministry of Gender Child and Social Welfare, believes that despite all the gains in the ongoing peace implementation, South Sudan still faces challenges in terms of women's representation at all levels of government. 

“Despite all these gains that we had from legislative policy and legal environment, we’re still challenged in terms of women at all levels and in all institutions," she noted. 

Meanwhile, Samuel Deo, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said this conference is meant to celebrate the lives of women in South Sudan.