Over 17,400 South Sudanese Receive National Identity Cards Thanks to UNHCR and the European Union

Published: 21/Nov/2024
Source: UNHCR

Juba/Yei – The United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Raouf Mazou, and the EU Ambassador, Mr Timo Olkkonen, were in Yei yesterday to take part in a ceremony during which hundreds of South Sudanese received National Identity Cards as part of a joint project in support of the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport, and Immigration (DCRNPI).

More than 17,400 South Sudanese have been issued with National Identity Cards thanks to the joint EU/UNHCR partnership since the start of the year. The exercise has been targeting South Sudanese who have come back from being refugees in other countries, as well as persons at risk of statelessness across the country. It has focused on areas of high returns of refugees from neighbouring countries, including in Central Equatoria the counties of Morobo, Lainya, Yei, and Kajo-Keji.

The issuance of ID cards provides South Sudanese citizens who are coming to their country with a legal identity is an essential first stop to access rights and services. It opens and opens new avenues for employment, financial inclusion and access to education. By providing local communities and returnees with official identification, this initiative supports their integration, socio-economic advancement and stability.

Ambassador Olkkonen welcomed the important milestone, highlighting that a nationality document is not just a bureaucratic requirement, but a fundamental right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “A nationality document ensures recognition by the state and facilitates access to essential services and opportunities where these are provided by the state. Above all, it plays a crucial role in building a united nation,” said Ambassador Olkkonen. “I thank UNHCR and the Government of South Sudan for these achievements and I call on the Government to continue its efforts to guarantee rights of citizenship to all that are entitled to it.” He added that the EU is committed to promoting integration, building resilience and addressing the risk of statelessness in South Sudan. This accomplishment underscores the EU’s commitment, to enhancing services across key sectors such as civil documentation, education, health, and livelihoods for internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host communities throughout South Sudan.

The delegation met with the County Commissioners from Yei, Lanya, Morobo and Kajo Keji and highlighted where the EU-funded Integrated Approach to Enhancing Protection, Resilience and Solutions in South Sudan (2023-2025) project is being implemented in Greater Yei (Laniya, Morbo, Yei and Kajo-Keji counties), supporting civil documentation, gender-based violence mitigation measures, livelihoods and education in these areas. The project is also implemented in Torit and Wau.

DCRNPI Director General Simon Majur highlighted the government’s dedication to enhancing access to civil documentation. “Having a National Identity Card empowers returnees and displaced communities to access essential services such as education, healthcare, social protection, and formal employment. We are committed to expanding access to civil documentation to support reintegration and national development,” Mr. Majur said.

“Yesterday’s ceremony is particularly timely and comes within a few weeks of South Sudan formally acceding to the two Conventions of Statelessness, a significant step for a country that faces unique challenges to integrate large numbers of returning citizens from neighbouring countries,” Mr Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, said.

While most of the refugees coming back from Uganda and Kenya to South Sudan do so voluntarily, the situation is particularly dire for the hundreds of thousands who have come back from Sudan in adverse circumstances since April 2023. “Many had never lived in South Sudan, and for them, the risk of statelessness can be high and further action is needed,” Mazou said.

UNHCR and the European Union are committed to working together to provide protection and solutions to South Sudan’s displaced populations as well as those of statelessness and are working together the shift the dial away for continued dependency on humanitarian assistance towards sustainability and self-reliance.
UNHCR remains committed to collaborating with the EU and government partners to build resilient communities and support pathways toward lasting peace and development.

Read original: https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/over-17400-south-sudanese-receive-national-identity-cards-thanks-unhcr-and-european-union

Themes: ID Documents and Passports, Nationality and Refugees
Regions: South Sudan
Year: 2024