Juba, 19 December 2018 – Jubek State Minister for Local Government, Law Enforcement and Parliamentary Affairs Hon. Issac Riedek Benjamin and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Chrysantus Ayangafac officiated the official hand-over of the ministry’s training hall in Juba on Wednesday.

“Today, we take over the ministry’s training hall, renovated and equipped with 10 tables, 30 chairs, two laptops and a projector, because of the ministry’s fruitful partnership with UNDP. This hall will be used to train local government officials and chiefs from the 14 counties of Jubek state,” said the Minister for Local Government, Law Enforcement and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Issac Riedek.

UNDP supports Public Financial Management (PFM) in South Sudan to strengthen non-oil revenue generating systems in three key areas: governance of revenue mobilization; capacity building of tax officers and policy-makers; and oversight providing institutions at the state level. The project, financed by the Government of Japan and the African Development Bank (AfDB), was initially concentrated to Jubek, Gbudue and Aweil but is now being scaled up to three more states; Torit, Jonglei and Gogrial.

The hall, together with the new IT equipment and furniture, will be used to support training of local government officers and other employees of the state government on public finance. The capacity building will play an important role in helping to create a fiscal space through domestic revenue mobilization, which is pivotal for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“In UNDP, we don’t look at this partnership as just the provision of a building, it is much more than that. This partnership is about empowering the ministry so that it can provide services to the citizens, and to empower the citizens to hold their government accountable. In addition, as a development agency that approaches development and poverty reduction from the human development lens, we are keenly aware that domestic resource mobilization is fundamental for eradicating poverty and hunger” said Chrysantus Ayangafac, representing UNDP senior management.

Partnerships between government agencies and development partners gearing up capacity-building and institutional development to create systems to mobilize domestic resources are essential for fulfilling the social contract. They will also help to deliver much awaited “peace dividends” to the population of South Sudan, after many years of conflict.

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For further information, please contact:

Louis Fourmentin, UNDP Communications: +211920580247, louis.fourmentin@undp.org