Month: May 2022

South Sudan on Friday lauded an initiative by the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to bring together the rival local communities in the disputed border area.

The UNISFA Force Commander and Acting Head of Mission, Maj Gen Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, is preparing to convene a conference for the traditional leaders of the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya tribes.

The purpose of the meeting, which will take place in Entebbe Uganda on 16-19 May, is to revitalise the local peace process between traditional local leaders.

“We are aware of the initiative by UNISFA. It is a commendable initiative. The two communities have taken time without sitting down and hearing from themselves directly”, said Deng Alor a Minister of East Africa affairs tasked with Abyei.

Alor said the political crisis in Sudan and the strained implementation of the revitalized peace agreement distracted Khartoum and Juba from seeking a resolution of the border dispute and the recurrent intercommunal violence in Abyei.

“These issues have taken the attention of the leaders and this has given people with different agendas to cause havoc as we have recently in Abyei and other areas at the border with Sudan,” said the minister who is also a son of the Ngok Dinka.

The peace initiative would bring together key stakeholders specifically Paramount Chiefs of the two communities and representatives from the civil society, including women’s and youth groups as well as those individuals and organizations involved in local initiatives to prevent, manage, and resolve conflict.

Kuol who is charged with Abyei file in the office of President Salva Kiir pointed out to the clashes that Abyei has been experiencing are more violent conflicts than at any time in the recent past.

Also, he said that the record number of people displaced by inter-communal violence has been a cause for concern.

During the months of February, March and April 2022, the Ngok Dinka found themselves caught in armed clashes with the Misseriya in the north and the Twic Dinka of Warrap state in the south who dispute the control of Anet area.

More than 40 people were killed during the past three months and several villages were burned.

South Sudan appointed Abyei chief administrator Kuol Deim Kuol confirmed the initiative by the UNISFA, saying it was necessitated by recent developments in the area.

Kuol said chiefs of the Dinka Ngok will be led by their paramount chief Bulabek Deng Kuol while youth and members of the civil society groups will be represented by their leaders.

“We are not the one responsible for their selection. This was the initiative of the United Nations and we were just informed and we endorsed it because it is about the peaceful dialogue which is in the interest of everyone,” he added.

The official stressed that the Ngok Dinka have been aggressed in their land and sustained several attacks by the Misseriya.

“So, this peace initiative will be a great opportunity for the Dinka Ngok people to ask what they have done to warrant these attacks,” further said Kuol.

Analysts see the UNISFA peace initiative as an opportunity to defuse tension and a strategy to prevent and control further violence that the area has experienced in the past months.

Source: Sudan Tribune

NAIROBI— Education ministers at the 21st Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) in Nairobi, Kenya, have issued a joint statement in which they recognised the urgent need to increase investment in education and skills at all ages, with particular focus on ensuring foundational skills for all.

With Kenya hosting the Conference, Ministers also recognised the urgent issues raised in the Kenyatta Call to Action on Education Finance in 2021 and agreed to look for suitable opportunities to consider the financing of education and welcomed initiatives that support the capacity building of ministries of education on financing of education.

Hosted by the Government of Kenya in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and Kenya’s Ministry of Education, the two-day conference focused on the theme, ‘Rethinking Education for Innovation, Growth and Sustainability post-Covid-19’ and accorded ministers, policymakers, civil society, and development partners the opportunity to share knowledge and good practice, and explore trends and innovative approaches that can be adapted by member countries to develop sustainable and resilient education systems.

With regard to charting the way forward in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, ministers committed to building resilient education systems that can withstand future threats and disruptions and sought to improve access to digital connectivity and skills to support teaching and learning.

Ministers resolved to build back better and with resilience for fair, inclusive economic recovery, and a sustainable future in the Commonwealth.

Ministers also acknowledged the Commonwealth of Learning’s focus on promoting learning for sustainable development through the use of technologies and noted the report and good work in support of distance education and learning, especially during COVID-19 pandemic.

In her concluding remarks, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland QC, said: “Over the last two days, we have discussed important issues such as financing education, Covid-19 mitigation and recovery strategies, education and employability, redefining learning spaces and education for sustainability and peace. I gladly received your ministerial statement and look forward to working with Kenya to implement these new ideas and recommendations for the next three years. Education, we know, lays the foundation for personal and social development, responsible action and good citizenship. It is a human right and the best guarantee against unemployment and poverty. But for our communities and societies to reap these benefits, we need high-quality and inclusive education systems throughout the Commonwealth. Let us build, reinforce, and sustain our partnerships to deliver the targets and SDGs.”

Declaring the conference officially closed, the new Chairman of the Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG) and Kenya’s Minister of Education, Prof George Magoha, said: “As was well elaborated during the proceedings of this meeting the benefits of education at the individual and economic levels are enormous and permeate all our lives. The Conference of Commonwealth of Education Ministers provides a platform for the members of this family to review our progress, build synergies and forge a common way forward towards improving education in our countries. It is, therefore, my earnest hope that our discussions in the last two days and the direction provided in the Declaration emanating from this meeting will accelerate momentum towards the achievement of the Education 2030 commitments.”

On the occasion, the Commonwealth Secretariat also launched an exciting children’s book series on sustainable energy and the global transformation of energy systems.

The books present the concepts of sustainable and inclusive energy in a digestible and engaging format for young readers, aged 7-12, to find out why they can be part of the change in the way the world produces and uses energy. These books are among publications, toolkits, manuals and other educational resources that the Secretariat provides free of charge to member states.

The six finalists of the 2022 Commonwealth Education Awards were also revealed at a virtual ceremony on the margins of the conference. The awards recognise and celebrate promising and innovative programmes, projects, and people that have made a positive impact on the education sector across the Commonwealth.

The meeting concluded with ministers expressing their sincere appreciation to the Government of Kenya for the effective chairmanship and excellent arrangements made for the 21st CCEM.

Policy proposals from the ministerial statement that was issued will inform discussions at the upcoming Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled to take place in June 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Over 200 international delegates from 40 Commonwealth countries, and over 200 participants from Kenya, attended the conference, which was convened in a hybrid format for the first time with some ministers and delegates attending the in-person event in Nairobi, while the rest joined virtually.

The meeting also marked the first time the Commonwealth education family came together in Nairobi since 1987 when it hosted the 10th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers on the theme of ‘vocational orientation of education’.

The next CCEM will take place in three years’ time in 2025.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK