Oyet Partick, the President of Union of Journalists in South Sudan - Courtesy

The President of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan has disclosed that the organization has been unable to convene annual meetings for the past three years, as mandated by its constitution, due to financial constraints.

Oyet Patrick issued a statement following accusations from journalists in South Sudan regarding UJOSS leadership’s failure to convene the Annual General Assembly for the past three years since assuming office in 2021.

Some journalists criticized UJOSS leadership for alleged constitutional non-compliance and lack of communication updates, among other issues.

Today marks the third anniversary of the current executive members of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan, led by Oyet, being elected into office.

On May 29, 2021, during the General Assembly of the Union, Oyet was elected new president, beating two other contestants—Michael Koma and John Wulu Deng.

Majak Kuany who defeated Ruot George and Ibrahim Awol was elected as the new Secretary-General.

Yangi Justine was elected as Treasury.

In a statement released on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, Oyet explained that the union has been unable to convene the Annual General Assembly (AGM) due to financial constraints.

Oyet states that the expense of organizing UJOSS’s AGM falls between $20,000 to $30,000. unfortunately, the organization lacks such funds, and no donor has expressed willingness to sponsor the AGM.

“We have not been able to hold the Annual General Assembly (AGM) because we don’t have funds and we don’t have any donor currently willing or able to fund the AGM,” Oyet told Eye Radio in an exclusive interview via phone.

“We have not managed to resolve the issue of having a yearly meeting where we have an annual general meeting every year, and this has not been happening because of a lack of resources,” he said.

“The annual general meeting is an expensive exercise which costs between $20,000 to $30,000 for one meeting.

“We are not able to generate that money. We are not able to convince donors, people see like as a lot of money that should be used either for training journalists or doing activities other than bringing people for a meeting,” Oyet said.

Oyet informed Eye Radio that there are areas where they have fallen short, particularly in addressing journalists’ welfare comprehensively.

He noted that UJOSS hasn’t engaged in any income-generating activities since its inception, a situation that persists to date.

However, Oyet affirmed that membership contributions remain the sole source of revenue for UJOSS.

He disclosed that UJOSS has managed numerous cases involving violations of journalists’ human rights, including arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.

Oyet mentioned that UN agencies like UNESCO have supported journalist training initiatives, focusing on reporting during the constitution-making process and elections.

“There are areas that we did not do well in, for example, the issue of welfare of Journalists, still journalists are not paid well enough and we have also not fully managed to unify journalists,” Oyet said.

“There are still some pockets of issues here and there so those are challenges that remain correct result,” he said.