NEW SDGs Fund Programme Launched to Improve Financial Transparency, Social Services
By:Lindri Godfrey Alex.The National Minister of Finance and planning, Athian Ding Athian, And Acting Commissioner General National Revenue Authority Africano Mande Gisdima, Together with the United Nations Resident coordinators, office UNDP and UNICEF on Thursday Launched a New SDGs fund programme to improve financial transparency and social services.
Government’s and Development Partners Curtesy Photo After Launching New SDGs Fund Programe.(Photo by :Lindri Godfrey Alex)
SDG] Programme to consolidate peace, save lives and facilitate economic recovery in South Sudan. The United Nations join sustainable development Goals fund program to strengthened national and sub national for public financial management mechanisms in South Sudan at UNDP headquarters in Juba on Thursday.Speaking to Journalists shortly after the meeting, the National Minister of Finance and Planning Athian Ding Athian, say his ministry is working tirelessly to develop some mechanism on how to close down the loopholes of revenue collection for the states to have shares for the development purposes in the country. Meanwhile the United Nations resident coordinator Alain Noudehou, said the purposes of launched this project is to ensure that funds are allocated for intended purpose in the country. The public financial management mechanism in South Sudan aimed at increasing budget allocations to social and services sectors. The programme will be implemented in Western Equatoria, Central Equatorial and Northern Bar-el –gazal states respectively.However, The joint program is aligned with the mandate of the R.TGONG to build peace for democracy and economic development in south Sudan.
According to the Minister of Finance, the Joint Programme is expected to facilitate the allocation of greater resources to critical social services and ensuring their efficient, effective and transparent utilization.Finance Minister,Athian Ding Athian noted that this will also contribute to the realization of the South Sudan National Development Strategy which calls for intensifying non-oil revenue mobilization.“…as well as to operationalizing institutional mechanism to promote citizen engagement and participation, as critical pathways to sustainable development,” he added.The South Sudan National Development Strategy aims to ensure that 15 percent of the country’s national budget is allocated to social services.But development partners say public budget allocations to social sectors remain low in South Sudan.In the 2019-2020 budget, only 1 percent of public spending was allocated to the health sector, 5 percent to education and 2 percent to social and humanitarian affairs.This is to strengthen resilience, social cohesion and benefit the population, especially the most vulnerable children and women.Ayaa Benjamin Warille, Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare said, more national budget allocations are required for a national social protection programme as a central policy for COVID-19 to protect the most vulnerable and children and women of South Sudan. The Joint Programme will run from 2020-2022 and is supported financially by the Joint UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund, UNDP and UNICEF.By 2030, the project is expected to also strengthen gender-responsive Public Financing Management institutions at national and sub-national levels -especially targeting Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria and Northern Bahr El Ghazal States. COVID-19 shows how important it is for South Sudan to strengthen its public financial management institutions,” said Alain Noudehou, UN Resident Coordinator. “It is vital government institutions provide basic social services as reflection of the needs of its citizens.The diplomat stressed, this will enable South Sudan to tackle economic shocks better in the future and to enable investments in social sectors that ensure the achievement of the SDGs, including in the health system.