By Correspondent

Unity State Governor, Justice Riek Bim Top, on Monday met with a team from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where he was informed of the suspension of the Peace and Community Cohesion (PACC) project, which had been active for the past three years.

According to the press unit of the Governor’s office, Ms. Natasha conveyed that UNDP is keen on the main priorities in the state, and after the closure of the project, their strategy is to identify the areas of urgent need first.

As for the Governor of Unity State, during the discussion, he welcomed any new project that is in line with the needs of the local population, and stressed the urgent need for the project for its role in achieving lasting peace among communities.

The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Peace and Community Cohesion (PaCC) project seeks to contribute to the reduction and mitigation of community level conflict and insecurity by investing in initiatives that address their key drivers.

According to UNDP, using the community security and social cohesion approach, the project empowers communities to identify in an inclusive and participatory manner, the roots of conflicts in their communities, and using an integrated and gender-sensitive approach, support the communities to effectively prevent, manage and resolve conflict in a non-violent manner.

“The project also strengthens community relationships by identifying and strengthening cultural, social and economic connectors that make communities reliant on each other in times of peace and conflict,” a statement from UNDP says.