The National Minister of Youth and Sports has launched the 8th National Unity Day where he conveyed President Kiir’s vision of prioritizing sports to strengthen social cohesion and consolidate peace in South Sudan.

During the official opening of the event on Sunday, 28 January 2024, Dr. Joseph Geng Akech expressed his readiness to scale up sports as outlined in the Ministry’s 2024 Vision Document.

The Minister urged young people to discover and build their talents in sports adding sports nurtures habits such as fair play, teamwork, discipline and perseverance.

He extends his gratitude to JICA and all partners for their unwavering support in sports and other projects that have benefited the people of South Sudan.

On her part, the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Hon. Deborah Akec Kuocnin urged the players to play with respect and embrace unity.

According to Deborah, the National Unity Day—a key part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ 100-day plan—features players from across the country drawn from varied sports.

For his part, the Japanese Charge d’Affaires in Juba, Watanabe Tomoko who also gave remarks at the opening ceremony welcomed this year’s NUD focus on “Sports for Peace and Social Cohesion” emphasizing that peace is necessary to continue sports.

He expressed hope that the people of South Sudan would promote harmony among themselves.

The ceremony was attended by several government and UNMISS officials as well as civil society groups.