Interviews

Peacekeepers with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) are aiming to reach more vulnerable civilians in more remote parts of the country.

It’s part of a more “nimble and proactive” approach that’s being spearheaded by UNMISS chief, David Shearer.

On Wednesday he was in Akobo, near the Ethiopian border, where around 71,000 displaced people are living after fleeing fighting between government and opposition forces.

When it comes to growing their businesses, women entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities, not “waiting for handouts,” according to an official with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Adot Killmeyer-Oleche, chief of UNIDO’s Institute for Capacity Development, was speaking after a panel discussion on women in industry held in Bahrain on Wednesday as part of the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum.

South Sudanese civilians will only “feel ownership” of their country when fundamental freedoms and rights are respected by all, and for all.

That’s the essence of a new campaign aimed at internally-displaced people sheltering in Protection-of-Civilian, or PoC, sites around the country, run by the UN Mission, UNMISS.

Refugees, migrants and others are being treated almost as sub-human in some circumstances, according to independent rights expert Agnes Callamard, who delivered her report to the General Assembly a few days ago.

The Special Rapporteur passionately described situations in which there appears to be “complete indifference” to the rights of refugees, saying they are being treated sometimes “not quite as human”.

She has led human rights investigations in more than 30 countries and advised multilateral organizations and governments around the world on the issue.