SOUTH SUDAN LAUNCHES SAFETY GUIDE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS

Juba, Thursday, April 3rd, 2025 – Today, the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) joined other media stakeholders at the Yam Hotel in Juba to launch the Journalists Safety Guide Manual.
This guide aims to enhance the safety of media practitioners in the country and was spearheaded by the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) in collaboration with Advance South Sudan, with support from UNESCO.
Speaking during the launch of the safety guide, Mawa Nemaya , the Director of Advance South Sudan said, the task of the project is to ensure the capacity of the Journalists is enhanced on matters of safety.
“One of the tasks of this project is to ensure that the capacity of the Journalists is enhanced on matters of safety both physical and online,” Nemaya highlighted.
Mawa urges the media practitioners to “Always read the guide not only when there is trouble but you revise it so that you [Journalist] know what to do when trouble comes.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Majak Kuany Alier, the Secretary General for Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) said, the safety guide document is meant to enhance the safety of the Journalists.
“We as the Union of the Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) believe that this document is one way of enhancing protection for the Journalists,” Alier stated.
He added that, “We know that it will provide you with strategies to mitigate risks in our current media challenging environment.”
Majak encourages the journalists to use the manual as their handy book which will help them given the volatile political landscape of the country.
For his part, the UNESCO’s Country Representative, Julius Banda said, “This achievement of making the safety guide for journalists fulfils the priorities of the international community and Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists
UNESCO’s Country Representative, Julius Banda, highlighted the international and inclusive essence of the guide stressing its work of inclusivity where its footprints should be able to reach out to all the 10 states and the 3 Administrative Areas. “UNESCO believes in the importance of inclusivity in its work of leaving No one behind,” he added.
The UNESCO’s Country Representative said he believes in working in partnership with likeminded organizations, Civil Society and media practitioners who “Promote the free flow of information and ideas through the available channels.”
The drafting of this Safety Guide for Journalists began in 2022 as a comprehensive risk management tool designed to address all functional areas of media operations in South Sudan.