The government, in partnership with ‘Save the Children’ has established the South Sudan National Plan of Action for Children to increase children’s engagement in the country’s development.
The Minister of Gender, the Child and Social Welfare, Aya Benjamin Warille, who spoke at the event, said the launch was a step toward meeting children’s rights in South Sudan.
She added that the national plan of action outlines and analyses the most serious abuses of children’s rights in South Sudan, with a goal of ensuring the survival, development, protection, and participation of all children in the country.
“It also provides a comprehensive and well-coordinated approach to satisfying children’s diverse needs, including those that align with South Sudan’s national development program, Vision 2040, and the worldwide Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).”
The minister urged all the government and partner institutions to work together and implement the country’s newly released national plan of action for children.
However, she believes that there is still a long way to go in making South Sudan a better place, stating that more instructors and social workers are needed to address the country’s mental concerns.
Meanwhile, Labor Minister James Hoth Mai reaffirmed the government’s commitment to adopting the document in its entirety, stressing the importance of having such plans in place for future generations.
“From today onward, we will be embarking on a reverse implementation process by the stakeholders at all levels of the government.
”It is our commitment as a government responsible for people, particularly our children, and our promise to protect every child to fulfil their rights by adopting an international legal framework on the rights of children, including the document we are launching today, “Mai said.
Save the Children’s Director of Advocacy and Campaign Muzamil Sebi, who spoke on behalf of the country’s director, emphasised his organization’s willingness to continue advocating for children’s rights in the country.
Mr. Sebi stated that if the text is adopted in its entirety, it will be critical for the preservation of children’s rights.
He called on the government, especially the implementation agencies, to make the necessary efforts in order to respect the document and implement it so that children’s access to what they deserve is achieved.
For his part, Beny Eideon Mabor, commissioner of the South Sudan Human Rights Commission, a National Plan of Action for Children is a report that outlines what needs to be done to ensure that children’s rights are upheld, as well as who is responsible for them and when they will be realized.
“The plan of action, as it is all about children, must therefore involve consultation and getting ideas from communities, parents, and children themselves on what should be in the plan so that it is effectively achieved.”
“Second, from the normative framework, the adoption of the plan of action for children focuses on four key areas: child protection, child and adolescent health and nutrition, pre-school and basic education, and child and youth participation,” he added.