UNESCO Director-General in South Sudan, Special Envoy for UNESCO and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict said at the end of a joint visit to the country on Tuesday that ‘sustainable peace can only come to South Sudan if children are respected and given opportunity to develop’.
In a joint statement, Irina Bokova, Forest Whitaker and Leila Zerrougui spoke about the importance of education, reconciliation, peace building and protection of children affected by armed conflict.
They met President Salva Kiir Mayardit who is committed to prioritize education as a cornerstone of recovery from the on-going conflict.
Ms Bokova said ‘Knowledge is the strongest safeguard against violence and conflict’.
Ms Zerrougui said President Kiir promised that security forces would vacate any school used for military purposes.
Mr Whitaker said his foundation ‘Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative’ would foster peace and reconciliation through a mix of peace education, vocational training and technology in South Sudan.