Care South Sudan on Wednesday held the Women, Peace and Security Symposium (WPS) in Juba aimed at championing financial inclusion and gender equality.
The one-day symposium brought together 70 participants from key partners comprising national and international organizations, civil society, women-led organizations, and the banking sector and government agencies.
The meeting, funded by BMZ and GFFO under the Catalyzing Peace and SWoMo projects, champions financial inclusion and gender equality to transform women’s lives across the country.
In her key address during the opening of the symposium in Juba, South Sudan Minister of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare Aya Benjamin Libo Warille said women are pivotal agents in the journey towards peace, security, and sustainable development.
“We gather here united by a shared vision. A vision that recognizes women as pivotal agents in the journey towards peace, security, and sustainable development,” she stated. “We are here to assert once again that the empowerment of women is not just a moral imperative, but a critical necessity for thriving societies.”
For his part, CARE South Sudan Country Director, Abel Whande, said the symposium will discuss ways to address barriers to economic participation.
“Hopefully, I think the theme for today, particularly will help us look at some of those barriers to economic participation, particularly for women, especially here in South Sudan where only 4.2 percent of women have got access to formal financial accounts,” he said. “We are talking about a country where the population of women is around 54 percent and only 4.2 percent, and if you look at that 4.2 percent, you might be shocked that it only represents Juba.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Registrar of NGOs at the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), Dominic Michael Genge, stressed the need to empower women in financial literacy.
“I know what women go through, especially in situations like ours in South Sudan. We need to empower women and train them in financial literacy,” he said. “Looking at our partners in the private sector, we are talking about the triple P, public-private partnership. We urge corporate responsibility as a means of empowering women because they drive the economy of countries.”