Jonglei state counties commissioners’ forum to begin on September 9
September 8, 2010 (BOR) – The first meeting of Jonglei State local leaders since their elections is due to start on Thursday, 9 September, in the state’s provincial capital, Bor town.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is sponsoring the forum, under the theme ‘consensus building and institutional development’. The forum aims to engage commissioners and head chiefs in sharing experiences, achievements and lessons learnt on the management and facilitation in local governments. The meeting will be held from 9 to 11 September 2010 at Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology.
Other objectives of the forum include efficient administration and financial management as well as identifying roles of counties in supporting peaceful, credible and transparent conduct during the January 2011 southern Sudan referendum on self determination. UN agencies, state ministers and leaders of civil societies will also attend the forum.
Jonglei state is troubled by insecurity; cattle rustling is frequent, there are reports of child abduction and there is competition over grazing lands along ethnic lines. The state government refuses to call it tribal conflict.
“It’s a competition over resources,” Jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang Juuk said, adding that ,“there are no conflicts in the towns with different tribes.”
It remains unclear whether the forum will allow commissioners to the ability to discuss the lack of control over marauding youths from respective counties of the state.
(ST)