South Sudan Celebrates World Press Freedom Day

Journalists in South Sudan joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Press Freedom Day 2023 under the theme: “Freedom of Expression as a Driver for bolstering Fundamental Human Rights.”

At the national level, the event was celebrated in Yambio, capital of Western Equatoria State.  The event was hosted by the State Government and the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) and the State’s UJOSS branch office with support from UNESCO’s Multi Donor Program on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists.

The event brought together over fifty stakeholders drawn from the media fraternity, government, CSOs, representatives from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the National Police Service.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General of UJOSS, Mr Majak Daniel Kuany, thanked the Government of Western Equatoria State and the State Union branch for hosting the event. He called for continued cooperation between the state authorities and the UJOSS branch office.

Addressing journalists during the occasion, UNESCO Country Representative, Julius Banda, who first spoke in the Azande language, said freedom of expression is the driver of all human rights. In the spirit of Leaving No One Behind, language diversity in the media was paramount - the people of South Sudan should hear their sixty-four languages over the airwaves. He said “all the freedoms reinforce each other: the freedom of expression, the freedom of movement, the freedom of association. All these freedoms are extremely important for the development of this country.   As the whole globe celebrates the World Press Freedom Day, it is a universal aspiration of all the people to be free,” Mr. Banda added.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Peacebuilding, Hon. Pia Philip Michael, encouraged the journalists to be conflict sensitive in carrying out their reporting. He urged them to stick to their journalistic ethics and avoid incitement to violence and the propagation of hate speech.

The Governor of Western Equatoria State, Hon. Futuyo Alfred Karaba, urged the journalists to be courageous enough and investigate corruption allegations. He called on journalists to refrain from disinformation and misinformation and remain neutral in their work.

The Commemoration ended with a football match between the media and the State girls’ football team. The football match was aimed at promoting women participation in and through the media.  In addition, the WPFD event was followed by a two-day capacity building workshop for thirty journalists on physical and digital safety.