Juba, South Sudan –12 February 2025 – UNDP and the Office of the Vice President (Gender & Youth Cluster) launched the Women and Youth Leadership Program, a first-of-its-kind, groundbreaking initiative to address youth unemployment by fostering employability and leadership skills among young South Sudanese professionals. 

With youth making up 72% of South Sudan’s population, many have faced significant barriers to employment, particularly young women who often struggle due to limited professional networks, lack of career development guidance, and societal biases. To bridge this gap, the new program provides young, educated South Sudanese—especially women—opportunities to gain professional experience and leadership skills through six-month internships with Government, UN agencies, NGOs, inter-governmental organizations, and private sector companies.

The program was targeted at South Sudanese men and women Youth within the age bracket of 18 to 35 years, with at least an undergraduate degree. With a key objective of providing participants with practical experience and exposure to professional work environments and that eventually lead to employment.

The Women and Youth Leadership program recruitment process ensured fairness and diversity through an organized selection supervised by a multi-sectoral committee and a nationwide call for applications, followed by shortlisting based on eligibility. The Shortlisted candidates then took a written test on leadership and problem-solving, followed by oral competency-based interviews. The final 200 participants selected was based on performance, ensuring gender and regional balance. The successful applicants then received acceptance letters inclusive of orientation details.

Women inclusion was a priority for the program, therefore 60% of the successful candidates were women and, people with disabilities were also considered to create opportunities for their participation in this program.

The Women and Youth Leadership Program is designed around five core phases to ensure comprehensive professional development. The Recruitment and Selection phase which follows a competitive, merit-based process, prioritizing gender and regional balance. Orientation and Career Guidance provides workplace readiness training, career planning, and mentorship to align internships with long-term goals. Training and Capacity Building offers specialized modules in leadership, ICT, entrepreneurship, and communication to enhance employability. Internship and Job Placement pairs participants with organizations for six-month paid internships, providing hands-on experience. Finally, Mentoring, Coaching, and Career Support fosters long-term professional growth through structured mentorship, coaching cycles, and networking opportunities. The program emphasizes trust-based mentor-mentee relationships, holistic career development, and skill-building to empower future leaders.

Overseen by a Steering Committee chaired by the Office of the Vice President, The Ministry of Youth and Sports , The Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Gender, Child and Social welfare, National Youth Union and the private sector with support from the UNDP. The Program has a robust training curriculum, training in leadership development, gender inclusion, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and workplace well-being. Other modules will include governance, conflict resolution, negotiation, public speaking, decision-making, and digital literacy so that graduated become qualified for different professional roles.