South Sudan: UNDP boosts President’s office
By Julius N. Uma
May 17, 2010 (JUBA) — United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has boosted the President’s office, donating an assortment of 50 desktop and 30 laptops computers as parts of efforts to improve communication systems.
The donated items, along with supporting software and server units were handed over to the Office of the President on Thursday.
Dr. Cirino Hiteng, the Undersecretary in the Presidential Affairs Ministry, Government of Southern Sudan said, “I would like to sincerely thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) who are managing this project as well as the Governments of Norway and the United Kingdom who are funding it.”
Recently, a total of 40 staffs from the President’s office successfully completed a three-month computer training programme. As such, this UNDP- initiative is seen as part of a much broader programme to enhance overall institutional capacity-building.
Of recent, through the support to the Office of the President Project, a number of key Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) strategies and policies are reportedly being designed and implemented. These include the National Vision as well the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) attainment plan and a policy for Disaster Risk Reduction.
“Through training and mentoring, human resource capacity is also being improved and important financial management systems are being put in place, as well as building strategic communications capacity,” a UNDP statement partly reads.
Currently, UNDP is said to be playing an active role in supporting the Southern government in preparations for the much-anticipated 2011 referendum. Its intervention will encompass the pre-referendum and post-referendum periods.
Already, a Southern Sudan 2011 Taskforce has been established to help co-ordinate this referendum process and reach out to stakeholders at home and internationally.
“My hope is that the support we are offering – both technical and infrastructural – will go some way towards strengthening this central state instruction and achieving more creative, cross-sectoral thinking on key policy issues,” Joe Feeney, UNDP’s Head of Office said.
(ST)