Chairperson of the Board of NPC-SS Bullen Kenyi Yatta

Bor, Jonglei State| January 18, 2023:The National Press Club-South Sudan (NPC-SS) with funding from UNESCO conducts a three-day training workshop on Crisis and Disaster Response and Management at Park Palace Hotel in Bor town, Jonglei State.

The training workshop brought together twenty journalists (15 male and 5 female) working for Radio Jonglei 95.9 FM, The Voice of Reconciliation 98.4 FM, and freelancers corresponding from Jonglei State.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the Chairperson of the Board of NPC-SS Bullen Kenyi Yatta describes the media as a weapon for development and social change. “When it [media] is used well, we shall realize a better change and development in our society,” Bullen said.

“Climate change is a global crisis not only in South Sudan. We in Africa are suffering the most, and this necessitates the training of journalists to report on climate change. You should be called climate change journalists because you will be reporting on the impact of climate change in South Sudan. Your job will be to keep our communities informed and receive credible information. You’re not only journalists for Jonglei State, but you are working for the whole of South Sudan,” he emphasized.

Speaking on his part, the Chairperson of Jonglei State Relieve and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) Mr. Mading Agueth Deng says climate change affects livestock and people. “It is not only climate change, the cattle raiding practice is a common phenomenon that journalists have to report about and create more awareness on its impact on our society,” Agueth stressed.

Hon. Agueth appeals to journalists to remain objective and ethical when reporting on climate change and cattle raiding and other negative vices in the state, especially early child marriages in the country.

On his part, the State Minister of Information and Communication Hon. John Samuel Manyuon, who was also the guest of honor at the training workshop, challenged the journalists to not only report on the negative instances happening in the state.

“Most journalists only focus on the negative part of what is happening in the state and what the government does and doesn’t, but there is a need to do more beyond the negative. There are positive things that journalists also have to report about,” Samuel said.

“The journalists should also be trained in the constitution-making process and other areas to increase their skills. It is through journalism that the government gets information on the needs of our communities to accelerate service delivery,” he added.

The minister calls on the NPC-SS to work with UJOSS and AMDISS to continue enhancing the capacity of journalists to help the ministry of information and communication to make crucial information accessible to communities in remote areas.

He further emphasizes that journalists need to be professional and ethical in their work to ensure that the public is able to access credible information.

The training is part of NPC-SS’s endeavors to capacitate journalists to report ethically on crises caused by climate change and other disasters in the country.

The National Press Club of South Sudan [NPC-SS] will be celebrating its second anniversary on the 14^th of December 2022.

Looking back at our performance in the past almost two years, the organization has considerably succeeded in achieving some of its objectives, especially in the area of training.

The NPC-SS conducted a number of capacity-building training workshops, both here in Juba and in the states; Yei, Wau, Yirol, DutPadiet, Kwajok, and in Juba.

We want to acknowledge our gratitude to our partners who morally and financially supported these training workshops, thus making the club able to achieve some of its objectives. Here are some of our partners that supported NPC-SS training and other programs:

The U.S. Embassy in South Sudan supported the monitoring of the human rights violations; the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day of May 2022; the training of editors and columnists on hate speech, and is now financing a symposium on media and freedom of expression.

UNESCO has been supporting most of our training programs, both in Juba and in the states.

The UN organization notably supported the organization of a football match between the NPC-SS and the National Security Service of South Sudan [NSS]. The sport was aimed at creating a good relationship between the journalists and the security personnel. It is worth noting that the creation of a good working relationship with members of the security organs is one of the objectives of the National Press Club of South Sudan. This is done through the organization of awareness conferences and sports.

UNESCO also supported joint activities organized by the NPC-SS and the University of Juba’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication Studies {SJMCS}, after the two signed a memorandum of understanding to work in collaboration with one another.

The memorandum has created a good working relationship between SJMCS and NPC-SS. Most of the training workshops had been facilitated by some staff members from the University of Juba, SJMCS, notably Prof. Dr. Chaplain Kara Yokoju, Prof. Dr. Geri Raimondo, Mr. Nichola Mondili from Stafford University, and Mss Delphina Roba, among others.

IREX has also supported the club in its training efforts, in areas of psycho-social management, physical safety, and digital security; training that is necessary for our setting in South Sudan, where there is a high number of traumatized people, and safety challenges.

Indeed, our partners have grown in number; these include the Canadian and British embassies in Juba.  We, too, appreciate the participation of the government, at both national and state levels, in our activities. We do not forget the South Sudanese media institutions, AMDISS, UJOSS, FJN, and the media houses in Juba for the good working relationship that we share with them.

However, much is still desired considering the bulky needs of training and other needs for our journalists in South Sudan.

South Sudan is a country that has experienced wars for so long and has not had the opportunity to educate its people. It was expected that the next move after signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was to carry out awareness programs simultaneously with the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration [DDR] exercise. This never happened, due to the political unrest and civil war in the country.

It is therefore clear that the communities in South Sudan are largely rudimentary; one community still considers the other as an enemy. They do not think in terms of a nation, but on ethnic lines. In this case, they can easily be manipulated by anybody, especially those from their own ethnicity. This explains the chronic intercommunal clashes in South Sudan; in most cases fueled by unscrupulous politicians who want to achieve their personal or group interests in the country.

South Sudan’s democracy is still a struggling one. The governance processes appear to be dysfunctional. The country has not been able to deal with vices such as corruption, violence, systematic rape of women and girls, discrimination on ethnic and gender terms, injustice, human rights abuses, and lack of political and civil space.

The country has witnessed recurring peace talks with the little achievement of peace for the citizens. The South Sudanese deeply need peace, and peace is only possible when the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people are respected, and they are allowed to participate in the decision-making processes, equitable distribution of resources and benefits, accessibility of justice, and gender equity are guaranteed among the citizens.

This calls for the strengthening of the media and the civil society organizations at large to conduct capacity-building, trust-building, and awareness programs through civic education, among the entire citizens of South Sudan, including journalists. NPC-SS believes that all citizens should be involved in the shaping of their own lives in the country.

There is a link between democratic governance and human development. Countries can promote human development for all only when they have governance systems that are fully accountable to all people, and when all people can participate in the debates and decisions that shape their lives.

Experience has shown that there is no shortcut to development without respecting fundamental human rights; civil society activism, press freedom, and political freedom.

Development and good governance are interlinked.

The task for the media and the civil society organizations is huge and requires a helping hand from our partners, and concerted efforts from the internal non-governmental and non-profit-making organizations in the country.  We count on our partners to continue supporting the media and other civil society organizations in order to build a vibrant civil society in South Sudan for the realization of peace in this country.

As we reflect on the anniversary of the NPC-SS, we hope our working relationship with our partners and the media organizations will continue so that we achieve more and more of our objectives in our service to the people of South Sudan.

We hope the year 2023 will be a year of peace and development in South Sudan.

Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

A group photo of the participants including facilitators and CSOs, media, and academics after the opening session at Landmark hotel Juba

With support from UNESCO, the National Press Club NPC South Sudan in collaboration with the University of Juba has organized a training workshop on Media and Information Literacy that aims to develop the ability of journalists to think critically and analysis any information before dissemination to the public.

The two-day training workshop was held between the 28th-29th of November in Juba Landmark Hotel Juba South Sudan, under the theme: “Nurturing Trust Media and Information Imperative”.

The two-day workshop was officially opened by the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Moyiga K. Nduru. The commissioner acknowledged the role of media in the country, especially in civic education. He reiterated the Commission’s commitment to build the capacity and strengthen the media institutions, and their legacy. “We should leave no person behind; it is time to think of issues of Media and Information Literacy,” he said. Mr. Nduru said

“Everyone has the right to access to information/knowledge and the right to self-expression. Media and Information Literacy should be for everyone both men & women and is closely related to human rights”, Mr. Julius Banda, the country representative of UNESCO South Sudan, speaking during his opening remarks at a MIL workshop in Juba.

Mr. Julius Banda, the country representative of UNESCO South Sudan, giving his speech during a training workshop on Media and Information Literacy

UNESCO country representative, South Sudan, Mr. Julius Banda, delivered his key remarks during the opening of the training workshop in Juba.” You can be literate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are Media and Information literate,” said Prof. Chaplain Kara Yokuju, deputy dean of the School of Journalism, Media, and Communication Studies-(SJMCS) of the University of Juba.

The chairperson, of the Board of Directors for the National Press Club of South Sudan, Mr, Bullen Kenyi Yatta, told the participant during his opening remarks to take the training seriously. As Journalists Teachers and members of civil society are all promotors of democracy and democracy is built on respect for Human Rights, justice, and the rule of law, therefore, to defend democracy, you’re to have knowledge and skills in your profession.

The two-day workshop ended colorfully after participating and interacting with the facilitators and CSOs, media, and academics. The workshop brought together at least 44 participants that included fourteen females and thirty males to effectively apply and share the knowledge of Media and Information Literacy in the digital world as required by the system.

Prof. Chaplain Kara Yokuju during his presentation

The training was facilitated by senior experts from the University of Juba, School of Journalism and Mass Communication Studies: Prof. Chaplain Kara Yokoju and Lecturers Mrs. Yiene Yienki, Dhieu William, and Delphina Roba.