Juba, 3 October 2014 – IGAD Security Sector Program (ISSP) conducted a two days validation workshop on the “National Assessment on the needs and relevance of Security Sector Reform/Transformation and DDR for South Sudan” from 30 September to 1 October 2014 in Juba, South Sudan.
The meeting was officially opened by the Representative of the Government of Republic of South Sudan; Ambassador Mohammed Hassan, Director General of Bilateral & Regional Relation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Commander Tuemay Aregawi and Mr. Khalid Abdrahman, the Pillar Heads of Transnational Organized Crime and Security Institutions Capacity Building at ISSP, respectively, chaired the meeting.
The national assessment was commissioned with the aim of gaining in depth understanding of the needs and relevance of Security Sector Reform/Transformation and DDR and to identify its requirements. The primary objective of the validation workshop was to solicit feedback on the findings and suggested recommendations that the study report has outlined on the needs and relevance of Security Sector Reform/Transformation and DDR. The workshop also served as a platform to raise awareness among participants on the SSR efforts, accomplishments, achievements and the gaps, and challenges to address the ongoing security needs. The validation workshop was also believed to contribute towards building common understanding on the security problems, their impacts and solutions. It was intended to contribute to the improvement of the quality of the report and serve as a resource document with the final assessment report to be submitted to the government of the Republic of South Sudan.
A total of 20 senior officials were drawn from the National Intelligence Services, ministry of Justice, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Judiciary, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The workshop was adjourned by closing remarks from Commander Tuemay and Mr. Khalid, with vote of thanks to the participants, the experts, the staff, and the Government of South Sudan. (END)