United Nations Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake on Wednesday arrived in Torit to launch resilience and recovery programs for young people in the state.
The delegates included deputy ambassador for Netherlands Embassy to South Sudan and the national Minister For Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development.
Speaking while at Torit State Parliament, Wickramanayake urged South Sudan leaders to create a conducive environment for youth to show their talents.
She told legislatures to prioritize the needs of youth in the state.
‘The first thing is as leaders and as political leaders the responsibility that we have to create conducive and environment for our young people can release their fullest potential. Secondly I wanted to express in the importance of financing at state legislature and parliament also has the responsibility of the budget so I would also really like to encourage you consider the priorities of young people and their needs their priorities as your priority avenue takes up this decision in this esteem chamber’, the envoy stressed
The national Minister for Labour and Public Service James Hoth Mai said it is government’s commitments to empower youth in resilience and recovery programs in the state.
He said South Sudan can only attain peace and development when youth are empowered as backbone of the country.
‘We came here to launch the program for youth and women and it is the commitment of the government to empower youths and we are committed to do that program with the help of partners. I think youths formed the basic backbone of our development; there is no country which can develop without youths and all of us going to do change even the youths we are talking of today, tomorrow no longer be youths, so it is a process that is ongoing because these are the majority and they are the active people any program that fit’, he explained.
Speaker of Torit Parliament Charles Odwar welcomed the delegates, applauding them for supporting resilience and recovery program in the state.
He said it is the duty of government to ensure youth are empowered with resilience and recovery programs.
‘On behave of state parliament and on behave of citizens of Torit state, we are grateful to host this very important high level delegation for resilience and recovery program in our state. Resilience program has not come in vain it came as the result of fruitful of state government in making sure the state is peaceful because when there is peace the partners come in to help this state. Congratulation for selecting Torit state to be part of this program and I want also to assure you that we have already tasted the fruit of this program and one of them is the road from Torit Magwi which is under this program’, he noted.
On her part the Deputy Governor Torit Margret Itto Leonardo called on humanitarian agency in resilience recovery program to include the illiterate and school dropout.
She beliefs youth involvement in productive activities helps reduce over dependency and idolatry in the state.
‘When we talk of partnership for recovery and resilience, it is the government in the state that is leading PFRR and usually it is me who stand here to make sure this new born baby called PFRR is implemented in a right way and I believe we are going in a right way because this is one of the programs. When we talk about the youth we know the majority of our population are the young people, again out of that majority looking at illiteracy, the illiteracy rate is high it means the majority are illiterate so what we want to make sure in the state’, the deputy governor said.
The speakers made the statements during the high level solidarity mission of UN Secretary-General’s envoy on Youth to Torit at the state parliament on Wednesday