Unifeed
SOUTH SUDAN / PEACE FORUM
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / PEACE FORUM
TRT: 02:37
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 1 OCTOBER 2019, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Pan right, participants in groups
2. Various shots, participants expressing their views
3. Close up, hands
4. Various shots, participants
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Teresa Sirisio, Chairperson, Sudan African National Union:
“This forum clearly indicates our acceptance, and that we are beginning to build confidence in order to have peace in South Sudan. I am very optimistic about this. Regarding the diverse communities in society that have come to this forum, I am very confident, and I am optimistic; and the way we are working together as one family for one purpose, that is peace.”
6. Various shots, participants in groups
7. Med shot, the Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan listening
8. SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
“The ‘Our Peace’ forum that we are here for today, provides an important opportunity for people with a vast range of experience and expertise, to use their influence and their experience to drive the implementation of the peace process.”
9. Various shots, participants
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Mayik, Women’s Leader, Malakal UN Protection of Civilians:
“I feel the workshop allows us to own the peace. Like before, when people were not engaged, they [felt] the peace [was] for those who signed, like the government, the IO (SPLA In Opposition) and the other parties, but now brining the grassroots, they feel they are part and parcel of this Revitalized Peace Agreement.”
11. Various shots, participants in groups discussing and listening
12. Various shots, participant jotting down notes on flip-chart
Participants at a three-day forum aimed at ensuring inclusive and active participation of grassroots communities in peacebuilding in South Sudan today (1 Oct) underscored the need for national and sub-national actors to own the peace process set in motion by a September 2018 Addis Ababa agreement.
Breaking out into groups, some 60 or so participants drawn from across South Sudan passionately discussed various efforts they have engaged in to promote peace, while also highlighting some of the challenges they have experienced.
They are political, traditional, and religious leaders, alongside representatives of the civil society, displaced communities, women, and youth.
At this forum, supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), some participants see an opportunity for confidence-building and engaging with different communities.
SOUNDBITE (English) Teresa Sirisio, Chairperson, Sudan African National Union:
“This forum clearly indicates our acceptance, and that we are beginning to build confidence in order to have peace in South Sudan. I am very optimistic about this. Regarding the diverse communities in society that have come to this forum, I am very confident, and I am optimistic; and the way we are working together as one family for one purpose, that is peace.”
Speaking at the start of the forum, the Head of UNMISS said that it is crucial for communities across the country to actively participate in the peace process and at the same time forge “strong connections between the grassroot and the national levels.”
SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
“The ‘Our Peace’ forum that we are here for today, provides an important opportunity for people with a vast range of experience and expertise, to use their influence and their experience to drive the implementation of the peace process.”
On behalf of the displaced who have suffered the loss of their loved ones and their homes, Rachel Mayik from Malakal said the forum was a platform for the voices of the grassroots to be heard, while at the same time, allowing communities to be exposed to a peace agreement that is still unfamiliar to them.
SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Mayik, Women’s Leader, Malakal UN Protection of Civilians:
“I feel the workshop allows us to own the peace. Like before, when people were not engaged, they [felt] the peace [was] for those who signed, like the government, the IO (SPLA In Opposition) and the other parties, but now brining the grassroots, they feel they are part and parcel of this Revitalized Peace Agreement.”
The forum is premised on the crucial need to ensure communities across the country actively participate and own South Sudan’s peace process, while tapping into different experiences to ensure the success of the South Sudanese peace deal signed in September 2018.
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