Official calls on economic institutions to support peacebuilding

The Undersecretary for the Ministry of Peace Building, Pia Philip Michael, has called on the country’s economic institutions to utilize their resources on peace-building in South Sudan.

He was speaking at a roundtable discussion held at Juba Grand Hotel over the weekend by the Ministry of Peace Building.

The discussion brought together the Ministry of Finance, National Revenue Authority, Central Bank, University of Juba, Land Commission, World Bank, Africa Development Bank, and the Customs of South Sudan.

It was aimed at enriching the South Sudan Strategic Framework to help in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

Michael said the implementation of the peace agreement was the responsibility of the citizens and that the various institutions and citizens should focus on the use of their resources for peacebuilding.

Appeals

“It is a tool we are developing to help in mobilization of resources. How do we mobilize resources for South Sudan? We know that it is actually about money; everything is about money.

“The economy is paramount for exercising in any society or country. If we don’t fix our economy, even if we have the political arrangement like it is now laid, we will not have peace,” Michael said.

The workshop discussed how to create a conducive environment where institutions would work together and all the economic institutions are expected to strategize on peacebuilding.

He added that the Ministry of Finance was supposed to focus on the sustainability of the livelihoods of the youth through microfinance, empowering women, and creating an attractive environment for investors to get into the country.

“In the implementation of the peace agreement, not everything will need money. We can also mobilize our resources as South Sudanese to do what we can do to fix our country,” he stressed.

“The other part of course is to reach out to the international community and friends of South Sudan to support us with whatever resources they want to support us with, but we know that we cannot leave the affairs of our country in the hands of people who are out.

“We are in a new country but we are not a new people, we have some little resources, how do we mobilise those resources and do what we can in our power to move our country forward.”

He highlighted that peace was one of the basic needs adding that when one has no peace, the person could be deprived of other special needs that might fall prey to bad acts such as criminal.

Michael said the peace sustainability in South Sudan had impacted negatively on the economy of the country.

“The challenge we are having is: how can we put money into peacebuilding? This is why the Ministry of Finance has given us a very beautiful power presentation and also we have realised that there is a lot that the Ministry of Finance is doing in allocating money for peacebuilding in this country, so the political will and goodwill is there to put the money into peacebuilding,” he stressed.

In September, the ministry held a similar roundtable discussion that focused on the empowerment and inclusion of women and youth as the pathways in the peacebuilding process.

The undersecretary said the Peace Building Strategic Framework was a vital document for the people of South Sudan.

He said the role of women was very critical in peacebuilding because peace starts at home. He gave an example of how women who are economically empowered stabilize their homes.

Michael reiterated the need to engage youth that prevents them from being lured into crimes, saying for South Sudan to be stabilised the youth must be included in the peacebuilding.