The First Vice President said people across the world are on the move more than ever and called for the creation of a strong migration system to build cooperation with other countries.

By James Chatim

The First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar said South Sudan, like any other country, is faced with the challenges of illegal migration.

 He said people across the world are on the move more than ever and called for the creation of a strong migration system to build cooperation with other countries.

Dr. Machar was speaking during the opening of the Inter-Ministerial Summit on Migration Governance in the Republic of South Sudan held in Juba yesterday.

He stressed that building inclusive migration systems and fostering regional cooperation is an essential goal.

According to him, migration is not just something to manage but a powerful force that could help the country grow, inspire new ideas and strengthen connections in the communities.

“I want to reiterate the fact that the government recognizes that improved Inter-Ministerial cooperation is essential for addressing migration challenges and delivering the potential benefits of migration,” Dr. Machar said.

“We are faced with a world where more people than ever are on the move, making it crucial for us to create migration systems that would be inclusive, and sustainable, and which we should build on for cooperation with others.”

“However, to unlock the full potential of migration, we need to work together with careful planning and coordination, both within our own countries and across borders. In light of this, I would like to emphasize creating an inclusive migration governance system,” Dr. Machar reiterated.

However, the First Vice President said that at the core of an inclusive migration system, it should be noted that migrants have rights and can contribute positively to the society.

South Sudan has an inter-ministerial committee called the Better Migration Management (BMM) committee that coordinates migration management at various levels.

The country also has a Comprehensive Migration Policy that covers four areas, including free movement and border management, labour migration, forced migration, and migration and development.

South Sudan is hosting over 2.3 million refugees and asylum seekers from the neighboring countries and within the country, there are over 2 million Internally Displaced People.

Meanwhile, speaking at the same event, Hon. James Hoth Mai, the National Minister of Labour stated that his ministry considers migrants in human resources perspective, citing migration as a phenomenon that will be there for many years to come. 

The minister said migration occurs in different times and places depending on the environment the human being lives, and urged the Ministry of Interior to develop policies on migration that can protect and secure the rights of migrants.  

“Your Excellencies, as for us, all of us in this world are migrants. It happens in different time and places depending on the environment you are in. And we have so many reasons, of course, for migration, which may be political, environmental, economic, and so many reasons why people migrate,” said Hon. Hoth.

“So, it is actually a phenomenon that will be there for so many years to come. As I stand here as the Minister of Labour, I am very concerned and my focus is on human resource, the human being, the migrant workers,” he said.

“That’s why we are very keen on the Minister of Interior to develop policies on migration, to come in and manage those that are migrating. Migrants also have to be protected. They have to have rights like any other persons.”

“We are faced with a world where more people than ever are on the move, making it crucial for us to create migration systems that would be inclusive, and sustainable, and which we should build on for cooperation with others,” Dr. Riek Machar, the First Vice President of South Sudan.