The United Nations cultural agency has expressed concerns about the violence in South Sudan.

The Director of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Irina Bokova, said Unesco encourages all parties involved in the unrest to respect the country’s rich cultural diversity.

Ms Bokova said cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable from respect for human rights.

She said that in order to attain peace, both sides should be committed to dialogue as the only possible way to foster mutual understanding between peoples and communities.

The Director-General of Unesco called on the youth of South Sudan to look forward to the future and the development of their unified new nation, through the peaceful settlement of political differences.

Unesco urges the government to invest in education to ensure sustainable development and peace.