BENTIU, (Eye Radio) – Unity State Government in partnership with International Organization for Migration (IOM), launched the plantation of one million trees on Sunday in honor of Pope Francis’ vision for environmental protection and to reclaim forest cover lost to years of flooding.

The event inaugurated by Governor Riek Bim also saw the renaming of a major road passing through Bentiu Diocese Cathedral grounds as Pope Francis Road, in rememberance of the leader of the Catholic Church, who died on April 21.

Governor Bim explained that the tree plantation project is jointly implemented by his administration and the UN agency.

“IOM is partnering on this project, and we decided to dedicate the tree planting to Pope Francis, who passed away in recent days,” the governor said.

Bim emphasized that the initiative alligns with the Pope’s very strong advocacy for protecting the environment and combatingclimate change.

“He has been calling for integral ecology that connects environmental protection with social justice, poverty elevation, and human dignity,” Bim added.

“We therefore decided to dedicate this to him because he promoted the greater Bentiu as a diocese and appointed for us a bishop of our own. The glimpse of peace that people of South Sudan are enjoying is a part of his contribution.”

Unity State has suffered catastrophic environmental damage caused by five years of seasonal flooding, with livestocks and farms wiped out and almost all vegetation cover withered in a sea of murky floodwaters.

Governor Bim and IOM partners agreed on the best ways to roll out the one million tree plantation in all parts of the state

“Its anticipated aesthetic, environmental recovery, and renewing of environmental sustainability will create a new shape in Unity State,” the governor added, according to his office.