The Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom speaks at the 75th anniversary of the UN Peacekeepers Day in Juba. May 29, 2023 | Photo by Gregorio Cunha/UNMISS

The Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan has called on all stakeholders to demonstrate shared purpose and political will to usher in a prosperous future for all South Sudanese.

In a statement sent to the Eye Radio newsroom, Nicholas Haysom highlighted the urgent need to galvanize momentum towards the completion of the nation’s peace process.

During his remarks on the UN day Tuesday, October 24, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General stressed that the UN family will continue supporting the Government and people of South Sudan.

“As South Sudan prepares for its first post-independence elections, it is only through strong
partnerships that a peaceful democratic transition can be achieved. In the spirit of UN Day, therefore,
I call on all stakeholders to demonstrate shared purpose and political will to usher in a prosperous
future for all South Sudanese,” Haysom stated.

South Sudan renewed its commitment to accelerate sustainable peace and development on UN Day [October 24, 1945] marked the coming into force of the UN Charter.

Representing the government, Honorable Mary Nawai, South Sudan’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, acknowledged that the UN has been a steadfast strategic partner for South Sudan.

“Throughout these years, we have collaborated with the United Nations in various ways to advance
peace, development, and humanitarian efforts in our country” she averred.

Since then, UN Day has been celebrated annually to highlight the achievements, efforts, and challenges of the Organization established to safeguard peace, save humanity from the scourge of war, protect human rights, establish the framework for international justice and promote economic and social progress.

This year, South Sudan marks UN Day with a localized theme: “Towards Sustainable Peace and
Development in South Sudan.”

This theme underscores the urgent need to accelerate action towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their complementarity to achieving targets set under the National Revised Development Strategy to create a better world for all South Sudanese.

UN personnel in South Sudan, government partners, donors and communities gathered today at the
Nyakuron Cultural Centre in Juba to celebrate UN Day.

The occasion provided an opportunity to highlight the Organization’s ongoing efforts to protect civilians, build durable peace, and promote stability and development, including the provision of access to vital services across the country such as food, clean water, sanitation, education, health care, infrastructural development, demining, human rights, and other forms of advocacy. At today’s celebrations, entities in the UN family showcased their activities in South Sudan through exhibitions at various pavilions at the Cultural Centre.

The UN Resident Coordinator a.i., in South Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney opened an engaging one-hour panel discussion at today’s celebrations and underscored the relevance of the triple nexus programming modality.

“As partners continue to work together to address the multiple challenges that the country faces, humanitarian support, peace and development must move hand in hand,” she noted.

On United Nations Day, the UN’s commitment to advancing peace, protecting human rights, and
promoting togetherness between nations and among the broader international community is
celebrated.

Since its founding, the United Nations has shown that countries with different histories
can focus on shared purposes and join forces to bend the arc of history towards a freer and more just
world.

About UN Day

The General Assembly of the UN has declared October 24 as the anniversary of the coming into force
of the Charter of the United Nations.

It is devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the UN and to gaining their support for the work of the UN.