By Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict

One year ago, representatives of the last eight governments of the world named by the UN Secretary-General for the recruitment and use of children in their security forces gathered at the United Nations in New York to declare they were ready to take the steps necessary to make their security forces child-free.

The gathering in itself was historic. And so is the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers”, launched jointly with UNICEF exactly a year ago. The campaign builds on the growing international consensus that children do not belong in security forces and seeks to galvanize support to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by national security forces in conflict by the end of 2016.

The countries concerned by the campaign are: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.

There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but we have come a long way. A few years ago, it was not uncommon in my travels to be greeted by military commanders, surrounded by children in uniforms and carrying weapons. That has become unacceptable now. Governments identified by the UN Secretary-General acknowledge that children do not belong in their security forces and most have taken concrete steps to make sure their children do not become soldiers.

In the campaign’s first year, progress has been steady. The campaign received broad support and we achieved results that are making a difference in children’s lives. Chad has completed all the reforms and measures included in its Action Plan signed with the UN and has been taken off the UN Secretary-General’s list of child recruiters. Over 400 children were released from the national army in Myanmar. In all of 2014, in DRC, there was only one case of child recruitment by the national army, and the child was quickly released. In Afghanistan, the recruitment of children is in decline and only 5 cases were recorded by the UN.

Six of the seven remaining countries concerned by the campaign have now signed and recommitted to Action Plans with the United Nations. These Action Plans are agreements that indicate all the steps necessary to end and prevent the recruitment of children in government forces.

The “Children, not Soldiers” campaign has also accomplished its purpose as a rallying cry to make the issue of child soldiers a top concern of the international community. “How can we help?” was the question asked by officials from dozens of countries, NGOs, partners from the UN system, regional organizations and many more. Officials from countries involved in the campaign have also met with representatives from other countries who ended the use of child soldiers in their armies. These were opportunities to share experiences, successes and challenges.

This is positive, but the campaign’s first year has also shown that goodwill and commitments with the UN are not enough to guarantee that children will not become soldiers.

The conflict in South Sudan is a cruel reminder that acting on provisions included in an Action Plan, such as the establishment of child protection units in a country’s armed forces, or taking steps to criminalize the recruitment of children is not enough to guarantee that boys and girls will be fully protected if conflict strikes again.

In Yemen, months of work leading to the signature of an Action Plan in May 2014 have been derailed by the current political situation. Instead of the anticipated progress, data gathered by the UN indicates a spike in the recruitment of child soldiers by all parties to the conflict. Even the armed group Al-Houthi Ansar Allah, whose leaders were actively engaged in dialogue with the UN, have reneged on their commitment to protect children.

We cannot afford to watch silently while children once again pay the price for political instability in their countries. We keep reminding parties to the conflict that they cannot recruit or use children, that it is a war crime. We ask all those involved in peace talks to make sure that releasing children is a priority.

The big lesson of this campaign’s first year is that the road to child-free government armies is promising, but also full of obstacles. The setbacks of 2014 show that even if measures to protect children are put in place, gains can be reversed under the pressure of conflict.

Common Challenges

We also have a better understanding that many countries face similar challenges. Addressing these common challenges will be a priority in the campaign’s second year.

Accountability is central to our work. To enhance accountability, I will encourage all countries concerned by the campaign that have not yet done so to criminalize the recruitment and use of children and to spell out consequences for offenders. Investigations and prosecutions of child recruiters remain far too rare, even in countries that have criminalized the recruitment of children. Without sanctions, children will never be fully protected.

Another challenge faced by most countries is verifying the age of their soldiers. That may seem like a problem easy to solve, but it is in fact a delicate and difficult task to execute in countries that do not have well-established birth registration systems. The UN will continue to work with Governments to establish or refine age-verification procedures to identify underage recruits and release them from the army.

Releasing children found in the ranks of national forces is essential, but they cannot be left on their own to rebuild their lives. Adequate resources must be available for community-based programmes that provide psycho-social assistance and help children build their future through educational and vocational opportunities. Helping children and their communities is the best way to not only prevent re-recruitment, but also to build peace and stability.

Throughout the year, I will continue to reach out to Member States concerned by the campaign, the international community, regional organizations and all relevant partners to mobilize political, technical and financial support to address challenges faced by countries in the implementation of their Action Plan. This is essential to encourage and guide concerned countries who must put in place mechanisms strong enough to safeguard the progress accomplished to protect children from recruitment, now and in the future should a new crisis strike.

The campaign has already received tremendous support from many who could make a real difference. This year, I call on everyone to join us, because, together, we can make sure that they are children, not soldiers.

• 14,600 Textbooks sent to refugee children age in Unity and Upper Nile.
• 3,295 Sudanese refugees from South Kordofan State were relocated from Yida to Ajuong Thok.
  
• 440 Foreign nationals screened at the Protection of Civilians sites in Juba.
  
• 52 UNHCR trucks carrying relief items arrived in Yida and Ajuong Thok from Juba.

In 2015 humanitarian organizations will target assistance at an estimated 5.4 million of the most vulnerable people in Sudan. Some 3.1 million of these people are internally displaced; most in Darfur, while a further 0.7 million people are refugees displaced from their country of origin or South Sudanese who are unable to move to South Sudan. In addition the humanitarian community aims to provide assistance to some 1.6 million of the most food-insecure non-displaced people, as well as 1.2 million of the most severely malnourished children aged under five.

In Darfur at least 41,000 people have been displaced from their homes by conflict since December 2014. These 41,000 people have been verified and received some form of humanitarian assistance. However, many more people are reported to have been displaced by fighting, including in the Eastern Jebel Marra area of Darfur. OCHA and its partners are unable to verify these reports due to access restrictions and continued fighting.

March 7, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese officials say pro-government forces regained full control of Wedakona, a strategic town north-west of Renk town in Upper Nile state on Saturday, ending days of intensive fighting with the country’s armed opposition forces.

Upper Nile’s information minister, Peter Hoth Tuach, said the military takeover of the area resulted from a week-long battle between the two warring parties.

“There has been fighting ongoing over the past days. The rebels have been attacking positions of our forces from Wedakona and using it to shell Renk town, resulting in the destruction of properties and death of innocent civilians,” Tuach told Sudan Tribune.

According to the official, government troops acted in self-defense because of the commitment to the ceasefire agreement, despite a series of attacks allegedly carried out by the armed opposition forces.

“Our forces were warmly received by the civil population there today at around 10:00am. It was a huge reception followed by other celebrations, because that town is located in a strategic place,” said Tuach.

The strategic town, he stressed, connects the young nation to the White Nile and South Kordofan states within its northern neighbour.

“It was also the place where the rebels used to have heavy artilleries which they used to shell the position of our forces in Renk,” said the minister, adding that citizens in the area were now free from attacks.

South Sudan army spokesperson, Col. Philip Aguer, confirmed that incident, saying government forces responded to repeated attacks from by the armed opposition forces on their positions in Wadakona.

Local sources, however, claimed government troops have been launching attacks on the position of the opposition forces with the view of wanting to expand their territorial control and bolstering the position of the government team at the peace talks.

Pro-government forces that control of Wedakona were reportedly led by Brig. General Akwoc Mayong, also known as Awad-Jabo.

Meanwhile, the armed opposition spokesperson, Col. Lony Ngundeng accused pro-government forces of allegedly carrying out offensives in several rebel positions.

"This is an indication of serious lack of government’s committed to peace negotiations. The Government is preparing for what they call dry season offensive with all heavy weaponry and equipment, launching attacks on our forces in five fronts”, said Ngundeng in a brief statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

He claimed pro-government forces were preparing for attacks on rebels positions from Kodok towards Mathiang and Maiwut fronts.

The two South Sudanese warring factions have threatened an all-out war as a means to achieve their own objectives after President Salva Kiir and opposition leader, Riek Machar failed to reach a consensus at the negotiations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday.

(ST)

March 8, 2015, Ann Witteveen

Following the heavy armed fighting between the government of South Sudan and rebel opposition leader that began mid-December 2013, a massive displacement of civilians took place with people seeking safety both within and outside the country.

Thousands fled to Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia. In Ethiopia the vast majority of refugees have settled in the Gambella region. The total that have arrived and are living in camps in Gambella since the conflict began is 191,944 (UNHCR figures for January 15th) and they are currently hosted in three camps: Tierkidi, Kule and Leitchour. I visited the camps for two weeks in mid January to monitor Oxfam’s response.

Oxfam’s role in the camp (with support from Humanitarian Coalition Funds) is to provide clean water for the two new camps of Tierkedi and Kule along with hygiene promotion activities and sanitation (latrines and rubbish removal) in Kule only. Who does what in each camp is coordinated with UNHCR and ARRA (the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs that represents the government of Ethiopia). The wide Baro river snakes through the region, flooding the mostly low lying plains in the rainy season. It’s muddy flow is the source of water at the camp but the water must first be piped into ‘onion tanks’ and treated before being trucked almost 15km to where people can use it in the camps. It’s an expensive and laborious process and a ‘sustainable’ water system is under construction that will make the operation much easier and much more reliable as the trucks get stuck in the mud once the rains come.

Hygiene promotion is done by teams of resident men and women who go door to door providing advice and messages on topics like handwashing, dealing with babies poop and on how to ensure clean water is available for drinking in the household. They also provide specific information on common diseases like diarrhoea and specific advice when there is a new illness that is going around, like Hepatitis E.

No-one knows yet when the refugees will be able to go home, but that is certainly what they want to do, as soon as it is safe. There are positive indications from the recent peace talks held in Addis so maybe soon the residents in Kule and the other camps can return to their own country.

March 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said the government of Austrlia has donated $1.1 million to provide assistance to South Sudanese who have been forced to flee to Sudan since conflict broke out in their country in December 2013.

WFP said in a press release on Sunday that the Australian contribution will enable it to buy 600 metric tons of pulses, enough to feed 66,650 people for five months.

According to the press release, “WFP is currently assisting close to 70,000 South Sudanese in Sudan’s North Kordofan, South Kordofan, West Kordofan and White Nile states.”

Australia’s Chargé d’Affaires to Sudan, Brett Young, said his country is pleased to offer this contribution to assist the efforts of South Sudan’s neighbours to provide protection and support to South Sudanese populations.

“We welcome the government of Sudan’s efforts to register and document populations coming from South Sudan in order to ensure their access to humanitarian assistance.” he added.

In 2014, Australia contributed $1.8 million to WFP’s operations in Sudan, allowing the agency to buy food such as cereals and pulses which were distributed to vulnerable people in Sudan. This was the first direct Australian contribution to WFP’s operations in Sudan since 2010.

WFP Sudan country director Adnan Khan, for his part, said they are grateful to the Australian people and government for this timely contribution which will allow them provide life-saving food assistance to the South Sudanese who have sought refuge in Sudan.

“This contribution enhances our ongoing efforts to respond to their [South Sudanese refugees] needs effectively and efficiently,” he added.

Under an agreement made with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan in July 2014, WFP is moving convoys of trucks and barges carrying food through Sudan to South Sudan for distribution to those affected by the ongoing civil war across the border.

“To date, WFP Sudan has transported 2,800 metric tons of food assistance to South Sudan with a plan to move a further 21,000 metric tons within the coming three months.”, press release read.

Twenty one UN humanitarian agencies are operating in Sudan including the WFP which began its operations since 1963 besides 104 foreign aid groups which are mainly operating in conflict areas where the Sudanese army is fighting against 4 rebel groups in 8 states including South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur.

The UN estimates as many as 300,000 people have been killed and almost 3 million people have been displaced in Darfur since rebel movements took up arms against the Khartoum government in 2003.

UN reports also estimate that 1.2 million people have been affected by the conflict which erupted between the Sudanese army and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state since 2011.

According to the press release, “for the first half of 2015, WFP plans to assist 3.7 million people, 2.8 million of whom are in the conflict-affected region of Darfur and 890,000 are in central and eastern Sudan including people who fled conflict in South Sudan.”

(ST)

KHARTOUM - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a contribution from the Government of Australia in support of its response to conflict-affected South Sudanese in Sudan.

The contribution of AUD 1.25 million (US$1.1 million) will be used to provide life-saving food assistance to South Sudanese who have been forced to flee to Sudan since conflict broke out in their country in December 2013. The contribution will enable WFP to buy 600 metric tons of pulses, enough to feed 66,650 people for five months.

“With this contribution to WFP, Australia is pleased to assist the efforts of South Sudan’s neighbours to provide protection and support to South Sudanese populations,” said Brett Young, Australia’s Chargé d’Affaires to Sudan. “We welcome the Government of Sudan’s efforts to register and document populations coming from South Sudan in order to ensure their access to humanitarian assistance.”

WFP is currently assisting close to 70,000 South Sudanese in Sudan’s North Kordofan, South Kordofan, West Kordofan and White Nile states.

“We are grateful to the Australian people and government for this timely contribution which will help us provide life-saving food assistance to the South Sudanese who have sought refuge in Sudan. This contribution enhances our ongoing efforts to respond to their needs effectively and efficiently,” said WFP Sudan Country Director Adnan Khan.

In 2014, Australia contributed AUD 2 million (US$1.8 million) to WFP’s operations in Sudan, allowing the agency to buy food such as cereals and pulses which were distributed to vulnerable people in Sudan. This was the first direct Australian contribution to WFP’s operations in Sudan since 2010.

Under an agreement made with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan in July 2014, WFP is moving convoys of trucks and barges carrying food through Sudan to South Sudan for distribution to those affected by the ongoing civil war across the border. To date, WFP Sudan has transported 2,800 metric tons of food assistance to South Sudan with a plan to move a further 21,000 metric tons within the coming three months.

Sudan remains one of WFP’s largest and most complex operations, providing food assistance to people suffering from conflict, displacement and chronic under-nourishment in Darfur, as well as in the east and border areas to the south.
For the first half of 2015, WFP plans to assist 3.7 million people, 2.8 million of whom are in the conflict-affected region of Darfur and 890,000 are in central and eastern Sudan including people who fled conflict in South Sudan. Assistance is through general food distributions, food for training, food for work, school feeding and nutrition programmes to prevent and treat moderate acute malnutrition among women and children. # # # WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 75 countries.

Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media and @wfp_africa

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): Amor Almagro, WFP/Khartoum, Tel. +249 183248001 (ext. 2114), Mob. +249 912174853 Abdulaziz Abdulmomin, WFP/Khartoum, Tel. +249 183248001 (ext. 2123), Mob. +249 912167055

Key Issues:

• An estimated 2.9 million people will require food assistance in 2015.

• The Government and humanitarian agencies are concerned over possible funding shortfalls in many critical sectors.

• UNHCR needs an additional US$16.5 million to develop the new camp site in Gambella.

2015 humanitarian requirements officially released

On 6 March, the Government launched the 2015 Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) in the presence of donors, UN and NGO partners. The document identifies emergency food and non-food requirements based on the findings of the national humanitarian needs assessment concluded on 21 December, and a five year trend analysis to project needs for the second half of the year.

An estimated 2.9 million people will require relief food assistance during the year, of which 38 per cent are from Oromia, 31 per cent from Somali, 12 per cent from Tigray and 6 per cent from Amhara regions. Humanitarian operations will also target thousands of people in the nutrition, health, WaSH, agriculture and education sectors. The July/December 2015 needs projection will be revised based on the mid-year review (belg needs assessment) in June.

Funding prospects for 2015

An estimated US$ 386 million is needed to fund humanitarian operations in 2015, but funding prospects are bleak. Carry-over fund from 2014 is limited to US$41 million, including $17 million for the food sector and $24 million for the nonfood sectors. Donors’ commitment for the year is severely limited so far. The delayed HRD launch will compromise resource mobilization. For more information, contact ochaeth@un.org

The Gambella Regional Government endorses a new camp site

Gambella regional authorities endorsed a new camp site for urgent development ahead of the next rainy season in May/June. A UNHCR team assessed the site and deemed it suitable for development. Located at 18 kilometres from Gambella town, the new camp (to be named Jewii) will have a capacity of 50,000 people, and will accommodate refugees from the flood-affected Leitchuor and Nip Nip camps as well as new arrivals.
UNHCR needs an additional US$16.5 million to develop the new camp.

Meanwhile, South Sudanese refugees continue to cross the Ethiopian border, albeit at a decreased rate since 2014. South Sudanese refugees account for the biggest refugee population in the country with more than 260,000 individuals, including more than 196, 000 that arrived since mid-December 2013. UNHCR and partners project up to 110,000 new arrivals in 2015.

Eritreans are the fastest growing refugee population in the country since the last quarter of 2014 when the monthly arrival rate increased to 5,000 people. After a sharp decline in January with 2,700 refugee arrivals, the number of new arrivals went up again in February with 3,394 registered refugees. There are more than 126,000 Eritrean refugees registered in northern Ethiopia. For more information, contact gegziabk@unhcr.org

UNMISS “Protection of Civilians” (PoC) Sites

• As of 5 March, the estimated number of civilians seeking safety in seven Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites located on UNMISS bases is 112,840 including 34,674 in Juba UN House, 21,368 in Malakal, 2,649 in Bor, 52,908 in Bentiu, 337 in Wau and 904 in Melut

Highlights

• WFP urgently requires USD 55 million for the next six months to meet the needs of all refugees in Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.

• In Uganda, WFP is implementing 50 percent ration cuts for refugees who arrived before June 2013 in order to stretch available resources. Full rations will be restored in April thanks to the receipt of new contributions.

• As per the inter agency regional refugee response plan, WFP provides hot meals at reception centers and monthly family rations to those who have resettled in the camps. High energy biscuits are provided at the border points for immediate relief. In addition, nutrition activities are ongoing to rehabilitate those malnourished and prevent further deterioration of malnutrition levels.

Posted by Linda Etim on Monday, March 9th 2015

While South Sudan’s warring parties have failed to make necessary compromises for peace after nearly 15 months of conflict, the people of South Sudan continue to suffer, including millions of children.

In addition to the many hardships South Sudan’s children are facing since civil war erupted in December 2013, the re-emergence of forced recruitment of child soldiers threatens to rob another generation of their potential after decades of war and lost opportunities.

UNICEF’s announcement that dozens of South Sudanese boys—some as young as 13—were abducted by an armed group while taking school exams sparked outrage. Hundreds may have been forcibly recruited as soldiers, constituting one of the gravest examples of the tragic toll this man-made crisis has had on civilians.

Recruitment of child soldiers is a tragic legacy of conflict that has gripped South Sudan since before Sudan’s independence in 1956. As of 2009, only 27 percent of the population and 16 percent of girls and women ages 15 and older were literate—despite the aspirations South Sudanese have long expressed for education and opportunities for youth

When I visited South Sudan in January, citizens pointed to education as a critical investment in the country’s future, even in the midst of violence. A 2013 public opinion poll found 68 percent of those surveyed across South Sudan weren’t satisfied with their government’s performance in providing education.

Yet the South Sudanese people’s hopes for greater investment in and protection of their children’s education are undermined by poor investments and continuing crises. Thirty-five percent of teachers in South Sudan have only a primary level of education. And while South Sudan’s Ministry of Education recently reopened five teacher training institutes, officially 42 percent of the national budget goes to military and security sector costs.

USAID began building schools in southern Sudan in the late 1950s, not long after Sudan’s independence. Our support for education services in South Sudan started in 2002—despite the ongoing 1983-2005 civil war. This early efforthelped make learning possible in southern Sudan after two decades of war and displacement. Since then, USAID has supported more than a dozen substantial education projects in an independent South Sudan. Our current support includes six multi-year education projects with a total budget of more than $165 million.

Our assistance has included building or rehabilitating 140 primary schools and four secondary schools; awarding more than 9,000 scholarships to girls and disadvantaged boys; and providing radio literacy programs that have reached more than half a million children and older students who had missed out on formal schooling. We’ve helped train teachers and created policies regarding long-term education planning and delivery. Our determined commitment to support the South Sudanese in providing education has resulted in major progress: school enrollment more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2010, from 300,000 pupils to more than 1.4 million.

Despite these efforts and measurable progress, less than half of school-aged children in South Sudan were enrolled in school before the conflict erupted in December 2013. Since then, more than 2 million South Sudanese have been displaced by conflict, and some 400,000 students have dropped out of school. An estimated 70 percent of schools in the most conflict-affected states (Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity) were closed as of November 2014, and some 89 schools are currently occupied by fighting forces or internally displaced persons.

Given these developments, we refocused our educational activities to assist people wherever they are—educating children who have been displaced as well as communities receiving large numbers of displaced children, establishing community schools in remote areas lacking educational access, increasing school security and safety and helping children who live in cattle camps overseeing their family livestock become literate in their mother tongue.

South Sudan will not be able to reach its potential until the country’s leaders end the conflict and commit to ensuring that their nation’s children have the opportunity to learn, protected from this senseless violence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Etim is deputy assistant administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Africa

Over 121,852 persons have arrived in Sudan from South Sudan

• 78,214 persons have received humanitarian assistance (specific assistance only)

• Sudan hosts an estimated 350,000 Southern Sudanese individuals following the separation of South Sudan from Sudan

* Abyei PCA Box is estimated to have received 2,496 (IOM)

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 9 (UNHCR) – Hollywood actor and model Ger Duany, one of the thousands of orphaned or separated Lost Boys forced to flee Sudan during the 1983-2005 civil war, on Monday was named as a high profile supporter of the UN refugee agency at a film screening in Nairobi.

"I am honoured to be recognized as a supporter of the refugee cause. I also feel a heavy burden of personal responsibility," said the 36-year-old Duany in a message. Now a United States citizen, he was in the Kenyan capital to present and talk about "The Good Lie," a based-on-truth drama about Lost Boys resettled in the US.

Duany plays one of the boys in the film, mirroring his own experience in many ways. He was separated from his family and recruited as a child soldier before becoming a refugee in Ethiopia and Kenya then being resettled to the United States. He made his debut as an actor in the 2004 film, "I ♥ Huckabees" and is a role model for many.

He remains concerned about his homeland and efforts under way to restore peace and stability in South Sudan, which became independent in January 2011 but has been plagued by chaos and conflict between government forces and rebel fighters since December 2013. Some of his relatives have sought shelter in Ethiopia and Kenya to escape the latest fighting.

In his message released on Monday, Duany said that becoming a UNHCR High Profile Supporter "is a unique opportunity. My journey has come full circle in many ways." He reflected on the fresh problems in South Sudan.

"During the last 14 months, my country, South Sudan, has seen the displacement of more than 2 million people. Less than four years ago, we experienced the euphoria of independence. I went home to vote in the referendum that led to independence. Never in our worst dreams could we have imagined that our homeland would descend into civil war so quickly; that the nightmares of our childhood would return to hound another generation."

Duany said that at the weekend, on International Mother's Day (March 8), he had thought about the renewed suffering of women and girls. "I thought of the women of South Sudan who are living and reliving the adversity of displacement, crowded in UN bases or scattered in rural areas, and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. Like refugee and internally displaced women around the world, they are the caregivers who protect the offspring as best they can when their world explodes in warfare."

He added that he had "known their pain through my mother, and my sisters, and the women of South Sudan at large. It is the pain of losing loved ones, of not knowing where they are or whether they are alive. That pain came back to haunt the nation of South Sudan when war broke out in December 2013."

Duany, reflecting on his past, said he had gone from an "idyllic" early life in a South Sudan village to child soldier during the devastating north-south war, refugee, actor, international model and US-based peace activist. "I could not read or write in English when I arrived in the United States at age 16. Yet, I persevered and went on to complete a college education."

He considered himself fortunate. "There were so many moments along my journey when I could have perished, as so many of our people did. It breaks my heart that today kids from my country [South Sudan] are experiencing the nightmare of killing, destruction and mayhem – while elsewhere children of their age go to school.

"Can one ever count the human cost, the lost opportunity for these generations? As for our mothers and sisters, pillars of resilience, must they really have to carry the burden of uncertainty that displacement imposes?" he asked.

As a high profile supporter for UNHCR, Duany joins an influential group of celebrity backers, headed by UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, who spread awareness and boost support for UNHCR around the world. "I will share my life's journey of hope and the ability to overcome adversity. The importance of the task is not lost on me," he stressed, adding: "It is my humble obligation to take up the mantle."

Duany said his "journey" with UNHCR had begun when he was a small boy in Itang refugee camp in Ethiopia. "I was brought to Dadaab [in Kenya] by UNHCR and resettled from there to the United States 22 years ago," he noted. And last year, UNHCR reunited him with his mother and 14 other family members in Kenya's Kakuma camp. He also visited Gambella in western Ethiopia, "where I saw refugees streaming across the border. I heard horrendous stories of their experiences in flight. It was heartbreaking, and it sealed my resolve to become a voice for refugees."

Keiko Inoue, Emanuela di Gropello, Yesim Sayin Taylor, and James Gresham

Overview

Introduction

The economic and social prospects are daunting for the 89 million out-of-school youth who comprise nearly half of all youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within the next decade when this cohort becomes the core of the labor market, an estimated 40 million more youth will drop out, and will face an uncertain future without work and life skills. Their lack of work and life skills will impair these youth’s ability to get good jobs in desirable occupations, resulting in low and unstable incomes while exposing them to potentially long periods of unemployment. The adverse effects of staying out of school will also be felt by the next generation, since these youth’s poor economic outcomes will hurt their ability to provide favorable opportunities for their own children. Societies at large will feel the impact: economic growth will be constrained, limiting the revenue-raising capacity of governments, while the need for public expenditures to support these youth, who will be more likely to rely on government health care, public welfare, or housing assistance, will expand. They will have shorter lives than their educated peers, will be more likely to become teen parents and to commit crimes, and will be less likely to raise healthy children, engage in civic activity, or vote or volunteer in their communities.

With a growing cohort of out-of-school youth, the opportunities to address the compounding policy challenges are fleeting. While East Asian countries turned their youth bulges into an engine for growth, the same phenomenon spells a potentially explosive economic and social disaster for Sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts to address out-of-school youth issues must be cross-sectoral and driven by leadership at the highest levels. Yet the reality is that out-ofschool youth are often “policy orphans,” positioned in a no man’s land with little data to develop an evidence-based advocacy framework, low implementation capacity, lack of interest in long-term sustainability of programs, insufficient funds, and no coordination across the different governmental entities—ministries of labor, education, and human services, among others— that carry partial responsibility for these youth. The international focus from development agencies, including the World Bank, is also fragmented. The continent is mired with youth programs that were launched with much fanfare and then either fizzled when the desired outcomes were not immediately achieved or were abruptly terminated when funds (often external) ran out.

Thus, it is critical to elevate the issue to the highest political office with authority to allocate sufficient funds and human resources to design, implement, evaluate, and then sustain interventions.

To support the design of better policies that target youth, this report explores the overarching factors that contribute to the out-of-school youth problem, specifically focusing on the 12- to 24-year-old cohort, which includes those most likely to drop out during the secondary cycle.1 There are strong (and not surprising) links between a country’s socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and the magnitude of its out-of-school youth population. These factors are explored in detail in this report. In addition, the incidence of out-of-school youth is lower in countries that spend a larger share of their gross domestic product (GDP) on education and devote a larger share of their public education resources to secondary education. Youth, especially younger youth, benefit from schools with adequate facilities. Countries with high population growth rates also experience a higher incidence of out-of-school youth. Finally, the presence of strong formal labor markets and the availability of stable jobs entice more youth (or their parents) to choose school over work. When a larger share of the labor force holds wage and salaried jobs, youth tend to attend and stay in school— a reminder that labor and education policies and the general business climate in a country are deeply connected.

This report draws from three background papers as well as from an extensive review of the literature on programs and policies for out-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa (see appendix A) as well as in other regions. The background studies include an overview of basic indicators related to out-ofschool youth, a diagnostic analysis of the magnitude and nature of the out-of-school youth problem in the region, and an econometric model of schooling from lower to higher education cycles. The first two studies utilize data from household surveys and labor market surveys conducted between 2006 and 2011 for 31 countries across Africa. The econometric study uses household survey data from 20 countries in the region (see appendixes E and F). Although the background studies did not have data for all countries in the region, data were available for a majority of countries that represent the region well.

Posted by Nikki Whaites

Two weeks ago reports emerged of boys being kidnapped from a school (where they were preparing for their exams) as well as the surrounding community in Upper Nile State, South Sudan. While numbers aren’t confirmed, some reports say 89 boys were taken, some place the number in the hundreds. As of last Friday, there was talk of negotiations to allow the boys to come back and write their school exams but there’s been no further update.

I’m currently in Upper Nile State, just a short drive away from where the abductions occurred. Today, as I walked to one of the small markets just outside the camp, two large trucks loaded with children and escorted by UN security passed by. As a result of these abductions and the ongoing insecurity in the region, these children had to be escorted to and from the camp to the school in town, to take their government exams. This is the state of education here.

I spoke with two young girls who were standing outside a War Child classroom and asked them if they were currently in school. They weren’t. They had been before but the conflict forced them to move with their families to the camp for safety and now they are at least a year behind on their studies and getting further behind each day.

War Child has been working in the internally displaced persons’ camp since it opened in 2014, following the conflict that broke out on December 2013. We’re currently running an accelerated learning program for children to catch up on their schooling as well as a literacy and numeracy class for all community members. But the need far exceeds what we’re able to provide. We’re currently one of only two or three schools operating in a camp that has a current population of approximately 18,000.

Speaking with War Child’s teachers (pictured) this morning showed the dedication this community has to rebuilding the education system. While they acknowledge the challenges they face there was optimism for the future. “We want to educate our children because if we educate all of them there will be a change in our country. They are the leaders of tomorrow. Peace can come through education.”

NEW YORK, New York, 9 March 2015 — The People of Japan contributed US $ 15 million to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action to support humanitarian demining in five regions. The announcement of this generous support was made public by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in March.

The five humanitarian demining programmes that will receive funds from Japan in 2015 are in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Somalia and South Sudan.

“I would like to congratulate the Government of Japan for its support and for maintaining its status as the world’s bigger supporter of the UN Trust Fund for Mine Action, a position which I invite other countries to challenge and endeavour to fill,” stated Dmitry Titov, the AssistantSecretary General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

The US $ 15 million will be distributed as follows:

• The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan will receive US $ 2 million, which will be used to clear 1.9 square kilometres in the provinces of Bamyan, Faryab, Khost and Kunduz. The Government of Afghanistan has announced that it needs US $ 80 million in 2015, if it is to meet its goal of being mine free by 2023. Japan has provided over US $ 125 million to the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan since 1991.

• The humanitarian mine action programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive US $ 4.5 million to promote peace consolidation through ongoing humanitarian demining. Specifically, 30 suspected minefields in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema will be surveyed and cleared.

• The UNMAS programme in Gaza, will receive US $ 3 million to mitigate the threat of explosive remnants of war, and to support humanitarian and reconstruction operations in affected areas. The latest escalation of hostilities in Gaza caused unprecedented damage and destruction, leaving an estimated 7,000 explosive hazards buried amidst the rubble.

• US $ 3 million will fund a pilot, explosive-hazards clearance project in Somalia on the Somali-Ethiopian border. This is a highly explosive-hazard contaminated area, which was not accessible before due to the ongoing insurgency and widespread insecurity across much of South Central Somalia. In addition to the life-saving benefits of this intervention, it is designed to create employment for hundreds of Somali youth, bringing a muchneeded economic boost to communities impacted by conflict.

• In South Sudan, US $ 2.5 million will support the UNMAS emergency response, which includes the deployment of rapid response teams and explosive detection dog teams, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to protect civilians.

“The Government and the People of Japan continue to be staunch advocates for humanitarian demining. They chair the Mine Action Support Group, they partner with the United Nations in promoting awareness about explosive hazards and for the last three years they have been the top donor to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for mine action. Last month the United Nations launched the 2015 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects in Geneva, which represented an overall funding requirement of $ US 296 million. We need other donors to come forward, to help the United Nations to eradicate the threat of landmines and explosive hazards. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations stated ‘The world is over-armed. Peace is under-funded.’,” stated Agnès Marcaillou, the Director of UNMAS.

UNMAS currently supports mine action programmes in Abyei (Sudan/South Sudan),
Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Darfur (Sudan), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, State of Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan,
Sudan, Syria and the Territory of Western Sahara (MINURSO).

For more information contact:

Lee Woodyear, +1 (917) 367-0200 or woodyear@un.org