UN family in Collaboration with Lakes State government commemorate UN Day in Lakes State on Friday at freedom square.
Rumbek, Lakes Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, William Koji Kerjok, on Friday commended the roles of the United Nations in promoting peace-building, stability and development in the State.
Speaking during the commemoration of the UN Day in Rumbek Freedom Square on Friday, William Koji Kerjok, acknowledge that the United Nations has played a vital roles in Lakes State and South Sudan contributing toward the stability, recovery, and progress of the state.
Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport and Acting Minister of Information Lakes state, said today we are here to plant trees in Lakes State and the program is supported by our partners UNMISS in Lakes State
He said it is very important for us to plant trees across the State and across the region because it is important.
“It protects direct wind, it protects and help us in maintaining climate change”, he said. “ The trees that we are going to plant have to be protected. Some of the trees including mangoes, has been planted in the past but sometimes, they were not well taken care of. So, I am appealing to everybody to make sure the trees we are going to plant and the ones that were already planted are taken care of because they are important for us”. The minister added that UN is important part of South Sudan.
“There is something that I want to know from the representative of UNMISS in Lakes State. We have heard that you have been affected by the budget”, he said. “ The budget has affected you and we are hearing some of you are leaving the job. Some members are going to be cut off and they are going to go home because they don’t have the budget”.
“ Because we don’t want these rumors and we don’t want you to go home while we don’t know why you are going home”, he said. “ You need to make it clear to us . We are also hearings that you will only remains with military units. But,why only military units is remaining and we are also hearings it is only affecting the region of Bahr el Ghazal”.
He said those who are going home is only Bahr el Ghazal region including Lakes State and the unit remaining is the military units and they will only remains in Bahr el Ghazal region why is it Bahr elGhazal region remaining with military units.
“So, you need to make it clear to us as your partner. You need to make it clear to us as your government so that we are also put on board”, he said. “ The people of South Sudan, and people of Lakes State by recruiting some of their sons and daughters to get a job and if you plan to lay them off than they are going to come to the next of the government because they will have no where to go. You were helping us in recruiting them and giving them job opportunities and that’s good for us as members of UN to make sure our young people are recruited and they are kept in their Job.”
He said issues of the budget is an issue and that’s why you use to hear because it affects the government and now it is affecting the UN how painful it is you might also know and that’s the situation. Let’s hope for the best and we will continue with peaceful coexistence among the Communities of Lakes State “.
Christopher Machira Marenga, Head of UNMISS field office in Rumbek said UN day is the united day to commemorate the singing of the charter of the united nations and that happened 80 years ago after the 2nd world war II .
He said the countries in the world decided to come together under the auspice of united nations umbrella and never again because 2nd world war II was devastating and as it said it is the world war.
He said it affected everywhere and it is affected everyone.
“ So, they said they need an organization that would cement peace and security that would put the humanrights at the forefront and would also spear head and work for development of nations and that the charterthat was signed is what we commemorate and what we celebrate on the 24th of October every year andthat’s what we are doing today”.
He said for Rumbek, there is a lot of work that has been done by the UN family as a whole not justUNMISS and that’s why we came with FAO, and we have UNICEF, UNDP and they are all part of theUN family.
“ We all celebrate together and we celebrate with the government and the people of Lakes State
because we all know South Sudan is a member of the united nations but also because of the worked that we are all doing in support of peace and security. Building a durable and inclusive peace in South Sudan but also because we are all aiming in building resilience of the communities and building the development that will take the country along that trajectory for peace and into the brighter future for all the people ofSouth Sudan”.
He said the most important thing that we have learned is resilience and all the Communities in LakesState have a lot of issues but they worked together and they have started coping mechanism and they builtthat resilience in order to move forward to continue progressing.
He said it is one of the states that does not look and it has no aggression and we have always had a cooperation.
“ We worked very well. We welcome the community. But the only thing that we don’t do. We don’t go into the community with the feelings or spirit of the entitlement. But it is about sitting down with the communities and when we sit down with the community and the community say their needs and what they would like to see us . We then work together and then that’s where you get the cooperation”.
He said you don’t go and tell the community what they need the community invited us and then we find out what they need and than we find out how we can work together in order to fulfill those needs.
“ So, the communities in Lakes State are very cooperative when we go to sit for a peace dialogue where we get the Communities that are having some dispute to sit and work together and they are very welcoming of that because they understand sometimes they do need outside mediator to support people talking. So, when we play that role they also welcoming of that and sometimes they still invited us. We sometimes have a lot of support and a lot of cooperation from the Communities and that’s one of the things that made UN very successful here in Lakes State”, he said,
Rumbek central county commissioner, Dut Manaak Akuot said Today as we are commemorating a UN day in Rumbek central county. We are very happy to join the UN over the world to commemorate this day.
He said this day is very important to all us because UN as our partner has done a great job to people of South Sudan and particularly to people of Lakes State.
“We want to appreciate the role of the UN specially the role of UN in Rumbek and the government. We are happy with the role being carried by myself as a county commissioner of Rumbek central county. I always appreciate their efforts”, he said. ” Without the UN, some of the other issues , we would not handle them “.
He said I want to bring to your attention that to our people and the citizens that the presence of UN is very important for example, the road between Rumbek North and Rumbek central county was difficult last year but with efforts from UN. It helped us with renovations along that road and now we have been moving very well. We have connected the counties of Rumbek North and Rumbek centre. We don’t have challenges of road until recently when the flooding has spoiled the previous works that has been done “.
He said I want also to request the UN on the same work that they have done last year to revise their work because the flood has affected that road due to some of lack of excavators due to be put along the road because the water has destroyed this road and I am requesting UN to renovate the road again to connect Rumbek North and Rumbek centre .
