Young footballers play in Bor, Jonglei

The Ministry of Youth and Sports says it will soon present its youth policy to the National Parliament for approval.

The Undersecretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Peter Baptist Abakar, told Eye Radio that the Council of Ministers passed the National Youth Policy in October last year.

Mr. Abakar said the policy addresses the rights of the youth and their duties towards the nation.

“It is not just a question of definition, but it also addresses all youth issues: what are their problems, how do they get out of it, what are their needs so all these things, and what do they expect from the nation and what can they give the nation,” said Mr Abakar.

The youth policy defines the age of youth from 15 to 35 years of age.

According to the United Nations, a youth is a person between the age of 15 and 30.

“As a nation you have to develop what suits you and what is the demand of your own people and what you want to reach,” he explained.

“So, we began [working] on the youth policy because majority of the population of this country is youth.

Mr. Peter Baptist said after the independence of South Sudan in July 2011, the Ministry decided to review its youth policy in order to suit the needs of our new country.