UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme 2015 Commences with Workshop I in Juba

27 November 2015, Juba, South Sudan – The UNITAR Hiroshima Office and the Embassy of Japan in South Sudan have launched a five-month specialized capacity building training programme for South Sudan. Focusing on project development and implementation, the 2015 UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme’s first workshop was held in Juba this week. Twenty South Sudanese UNITAR Fellows, including eight women, were chosen from twenty public sector and civil society organizations after a rigorous selection process.

The programme was officially launched on Tuesday by UNITAR Hiroshima Head Mihoko Kumamoto, Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan Kiya Masahiko, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Balázs Horváth, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, and Undersecretary for the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs Ambassador Alier Deng Ruai.

Welcoming the distinguished guests, Mihoko Kumamoto, Head of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office, outlined UNITAR’s and the programme’s scope and focus. “The commencement of Workshop I marks the start of the Fellows’ new learning journey. I am proud to work together with my colleagues, at both UNITAR Hiroshima and the UNITAR Juba liaison office, for the people of South Sudan. We are based in Hiroshima, which experienced the tragedy of the first atomic bombing and recovered in a short period of time. Through sharing these experiences and lessons, I hope this programme will not only help develop the human capacity needed for South Sudan’s nation building, but also bring hope to the people of South Sudan” said Ms. Kumamoto.

The Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan, Kiya Masahiko, said he believes that the programme is very important for South Sudan as a young country with aspirations and a good vision in establishing strong institutions. He congratulated the Fellows, saying, “I believe this programme will train and create the key change agents that UNITAR Hiroshima aims to foster. I hope the selected South Sudanese Fellows serve as a hope for all South Sudanese and will acquire skills to shape the nation’s peace through this program”. 

Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin was pleased that UNITAR considered the gender equality of the participants, further noting that “the selection for the training was excellent because the different trainees will go back to their places of work and would be able to impart and change our government through the knowledge they are going to acquire”. The Foreign Minister was also supportive of the breadth and depth of the programme. “The training is going to prepare the trainees to develop some projects that addresses contemporary issues in South Sudan and will serve as action plans for implementation upon completion of the Programme,” he said.

By the end of Workshop I this week, the Fellows were able to carry out comprehensive qualitative data analyses, and understand the key processes of organizational needs assessments and action plan development. In addition, the Fellows have begun the design process for their personal projects, which will focus on addressing contemporary issues in South Sudan.

The workshop also provided the first opportunity to engage and network with Resource Persons and peers from different backgrounds and institutions. Ms. Rehema Siama Guwo, a Fellow from the Association for Media Development in South Sudan, was excited about this opportunity that they “could use to encourage collaboration among the different actors in our country so as to achieve a better result for the benefit of our beloved country, South Sudan”. Mr. Emmanuel Ayume Benjamin, a Fellow from the Ministry of the Office of the President, was also enthusiastic to “use this training program to dedicate our energies and abilities to make a positive change and help in the construction of a better South Sudan”.

About the programme

UNITAR, with funding support from the Government of Japan, have developed this unique five-month-long training programme to cultivate the project development skills, knowledge and attitudes of selected public servants and civil society representatives of the world’s newest nation. The programme features blended learning methodology and includes three workshops. Each workshop will be linked by training modules, and participant-led projects. Workshop II will be held in Tokyo and Hiroshima, Japan in mid-January 2016.

The programme is being coordinated with the support of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is the political focal point for the programme and the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development is the operational focal point.

For more information

Download the joint press release (PDF).

Read more about the South Sudan Fellowship Programme.

At UNITAR Hiroshima

Shamsul Hadi SHAMS (Mr.) | e-mail: shamsul.shams@unitar.org | Phone: +81 82 511 2424

At Embassy of Japan in South Sudan

Koji ITO (Mr.) | e-mail: koji.ito-2@mofa.go.jp | Phone: +211 956 481 145

Photos: UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme Opening Ceremony and Workshop I held in Juba, South Sudan.