United Nations unveils 3-year cooperation framework for South Sudan’s benefits

The United Nations (UN) on December 17 launched a three-year cooperation framework to help guide its activities in South Sudan.

UN officials said the 2019-2021 UN Cooperation Framework (UNCF) will serve as a strategic framework to guide the work of UN agencies in South Sudan in the next three years, succeeding the 2016-2018 Interim Cooperation Framework.

Alain Noudehou, the deputy special representative of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, said the launch came at a moment of renewed hope in South Sudan with new opportunities.

Noudehou noted that for the aspirations of the UNCF to be successful, the peace process needs to hold, noting that the government needs to channel more investments into key areas of the new National Development Strategy (NDS).

The UN agencies in cooperation with their partners will implement the UNCF through building peace and strengthening governance; improving food security and recovering local economies; strengthening social services; and empowering women and youth, Xinhuanews reported.

Goc Makuach Mayol, deputy minister of South Sudan's finance and economic planning, noted that the launch of the UNCF was timely as the government had recently launched its NDS.

"The government would establish coordination mechanisms to implement the NDS and government institutions would align their activities to this," Mayol said.