Norway Urges South Sudan to Prioritize Women’s Empowerment and Combat Gender-Based Violence

The Norwegian government has called on South Sudan to prioritize women’s empowerment and combat gender-based violence (GBV) in the country. Michael Tawanda, Head of Cooperation at the Royal Norwegian Embassy to South Sudan, emphasized the correlation between gender equality and economic development, noting that countries with higher levels of gender inequality tend to be among the poorest in the world.

Tawanda expressed serious concern about the alarming cases of GBV in South Sudan and called on the country to raise its game in how it treats women. He urged South Sudan to place women at the center, including in leadership and decision-making roles, in order to maintain economic growth.

Tawanda made these comments during a workshop on GBV prevalence, where he highlighted the United Nations Development Programme’s Global Human Development Index and Multidimensional Poverty Index. The reports ranked South Sudan last out of 191 nations in both indices.

Reducing poverty at scale is possible, according to the Multidimensional Poverty Index report, which also unveiled new “poverty profiles” that can offer a breakthrough in development efforts to tackle the interlinked aspects of poverty.

Overall, Norway’s call to prioritize women’s empowerment and combat GBV in South Sudan highlights the urgent need for action to address gender inequality and promote economic development in the country.