“A Letter from the Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan”

Dear friends,

It was a great honor for the Director-General of International Peace Cooperation Headquarters of the Cabinet Office from Tokyo, the Commander of Japan Engineering Unit and myself to be given audience of H.E. the President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the end of more than five years of service of our Contingent in UNMISS last month. H.E. the President commended the engineers' earnest, devoted efforts that registered a good number of outstanding achievements and reiterated that the 5-year-long work of the Japanese PKO engineering units will never vanish from the minds of the people and the Government of South Sudan. We in return expressed gratitude for the assistance rendered by the Government and the people of South Sudan throughout the deployment period of our troops.

President, DG, Commander, and Ambassador	Departure of the Japanese Engineering Contingent ©UNMISS

The end of the Japanese Engineering Contingent’s activities does not mean the end of Japan’s assistance to UNMISS. Japan donated the Unit’s heavy machinery and other equipment to UNMISS and will continue to contribute to UNMISS activities through dispatching staff officers to its headquarters.

H.E. the President expressed his hope that Japan continues its support to nation-building of South Sudan. Indeed, Japan’s cooperation with South Sudan is intact and will not be affected by the peacekeepers’ withdrawal. Japan has decided to proactively contribute to a new phase of the nation-building of South Sudan through other activities. These include support for an inclusive and credible national dialogue, humanitarian assistance, as well as human resource development and capacity and institution building, along with ongoing development aid.

Groundbreaking of Public Health Emergency Operations Centre	Inauguration of Aweil State Revenue Authority

Japan’s steadfast commitment is just recently demonstrated by the latest series of concrete actions. Japan, as one of the key donors for secondary healthcare in South Sudan, participated in the groundbreaking of Public Health Emergency Operations Centre with WHO and H.E. the Vice President James Wani Igga. In Aweil, Japan and UNDP jointly attended the inauguration of the State Revenue Authority to ensure sustainable funding for social service. A new recovery and stabilization programme, covering agriculture, vocational training, nutrition, water and sanitation, among others, is now about to start also from Aweil with Japan’s engagement. Japan-funded UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme, inviting young government and civil society professionals for training in Hiroshima, celebrated the start of its third cycle in the presence of the Honourable Labour Minister. I witnessed all these.

JICA continues its wide-ranging support to South Sudan from their office in Kampala. To have them return to Juba to resume their major work, the improvement of the security situation as well as the upgrading of safety measures are essential.

The Second National Unity Day	JICA’s training activities in Uganda ©JICA

The recently-launched National Dialogue needs to be credible, inclusive and successful. I welcome strong commitment to the dialogue by H.E. the President as well as Steering Committee and Secretariat members. I call on all South Sudanese to stop fighting and join the dialogue to achieve reconciliation, reform the security sector and improve the economy in the country in line with the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan. Japan is ready to support the efforts of the Government and the Steering Committee to these ends.

The prompt deployment and operationalization of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) are also critical. The presence of RPF will enhance the sense of security in Juba. It also provides an environment for free discussion in the National Dialogue. In addition, it will ensure close coordination and cooperation between UNMISS and security organs in the capital. My hope is that the Government will fully and proactively cooperate not only with RPF but also with the entire operation of UNMISS throughout the country.

Japan-South Sudan relations are now moving on to a new stage. Building on achievements of the Japan Engineering Unit of UNMISS, Japan will strive to make full use of its knowledge and resources to maximize the impact of its support, so that South Sudan can take the lead and fulfill its responsibility to achieve peace and prosperity in close partnership and cooperation with the international community. For this, I will continue to do my best.

Kiya Masahiko
Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan