WAU – The State Ministry of Peacebuilding, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) organized a first-of-its-kind inter-generational dialogue in Wau town.

The dialogue brought together youth and community leaders to discuss key issues contributing the gaps between the two groups and to identify solutions facing the community.

“This project is about engaging all youth and community leaders in Wau to create a conducive environment where they come together to address challenges facing them and find possible solutions,” said Emmanuel Sayiorri, IOM South Sudan Project Officer.

The dialogue comes as a result of several IOM-conducted surveys identifying a gap between young people and their elders which required the intervention of peace partners.

“This dialogue is a breakthrough to fill the gaps between the youth and their leaders in Wau to pave way for everyone’s participation in community development”, added Sayiorri.

The Director General at the Ministry of Peace Building, Hon. Angelina Anthony Uku, encouraged the two groups to work hand in hand for peace building among the communities in Wau.

“As the Government, we know that there are gaps between youth and community leaders, that is why the signed Revitalize Peace Agreement provided youth an opportunity to be part of the leadership,” said Angelina

The dialogue aired factors contributing to the gaps between the youth and the community leaders such as disrespect, mistrust, over self-confidence, lack of job opportunities, and conflict.

Concluding the dialogue, both parties re-committed to being respectful, honest, trustworthy, kind, transparent and called for non-discrimination to ensure peace and development can prevail in their communities.  

Aside from the Inter-generational workshops, IOM, along with CEPO, have been training youth in Wau in trade skills like bakery, carpentry, tailoring, capacity building to enable them to become independent and increase their self-esteem as ways to engage youth in productive activities and stop them from forming or joining youth-gangs (commonly referred to as the niggas).

This programme is supported by the United Nations Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund

For more information, please contact Nabie Loyce, in IOM South Sudan. Tel: +211 912 380 115, Email: nloyce@iom.int