The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is consistently working to improve the capacities of local stakeholders in Malakal, Upper Nile state, especially when it comes to ensuring the security and protection of displaced civilians residing at the UN Protection Site that lies adjacent to the mission’s base here.
A recent workshop organized by the UN Peacekeeping mission’s Protection, Transition and Reintegration Section, was a case in point.
The interactive sessions ran for two-days and were aimed at enhancing the work functions of several local entities involved with providing key services for displaced people – the Protection of Civilians Coordination Committee, the Relief and Rehabilitation Committee and the South Sudan National Police Service.
They were facilitated by UN Police officers serving with UNMISS as well as members of the mission’s Civil Affairs Division; representatives from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR); the Danish Refugee Council and other partners.
The objective is to ensure that local stakeholders are fully ready and capable of taking on their roles when the Protection Site is eventually re-designated as a camp for internally displaced persons under the sovereign control of the Government of South Sudan.
Upon its conclusion, participants said that they found the workshop informative and helpful.
“I will take what I have learned here and disseminate it among my peers and other leaders from the displaced community here in Malakal by organizing a similar training exercise myself,” said Eliza Bukej, an officer with the PoC Coordination Committee.
For Major General Chuol Dak Deng, a South Sudanese police officer, the prime takeaway was the need for building trust and confidence among displaced communities and the local police. “We will continue to work with UNPOL and other rule of law actors to ensure that when the PoC site finally becomes a full-fledged IDP camp, we are confident in our abilities to serve and protect communities residing here,” he stated.
Perhaps the simplest but most powerful endorsement of the exercise came from Hafza Ajak Nyawello, Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports and acting state governor. “We want to build a strong structure for the nation where every citizen has access to their homes, education and can lead peaceful prosperous lives; the authorities and people of South Sudan can be the leaders of the eventual transformation of the PoC site into an IDP camp. It is a process and the change will not happen in a day. But we must prepare for a smooth transition,” she stated.
Such activities are part of the mission’s ongoing engagements to create optimum security and humanitarian conditions for the eventual handover of the Protection Site to the government and encourage voluntary returns of displaced persons to their original settlements.
Sheltering some 34,000 displaced people, the Protection Site in Malakal is the only remaining location where UNMISS continues to provide physical protection to displaced persons 24/7.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
© Press Release 2021
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
