South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Okech Francis
The World Veterans Federation (WVF), an organization that oversees veterans around the world has announced it will host a week-long international conference in Juba, South Sudan’s capital in March 2024, the biggest ever such event.
In a statement to The Dawn, Dan Viggo Bergtun, the Honorary President of WVF, said the conference would aim at addressing peace and security, with a particular focus on the role of veterans in promoting stability and progress in the country.
South Sudan cabinet said last month it would provide $1.7 million for the conference, billed as the biggest ever by veterans.
The World Veterans Federation (WVF) is the world’s largest international veteran organization, non-profit, non-governmental. The federation consists of 172 veterans’ organizations from 121 countries representing some 60 million veterans worldwide. It is a humanitarian organization, a charity and a peace activist movement which promotes wellbeing and provides assistance and aid to veterans and victims of war and assisting the international community in the promotion of international peace and security.
“We finally got confirmation of a project that we have been working on for a long time,” Bergtun said in the statement.
“Now our hard work will start.”
The conference will see the participation of delegates from around the world, representing veteran organizations from 142 countries, Bergtun said.
“It is the biggest” ever conference, he said. “Veterans from all wars and conflicts will be invited.”
Bergtun expressed gratitude towards President Salva Kiir for “dedication to the veterans in South Sudan and acknowledged the importance of ensuring their well-being in order to achieve national progress,” the statement said.
One key aim of the conference is to “provide a platform for veterans to share experiences, discuss effective peace and security policies, and explore strategies for strengthening the involvement of veterans in addressing these issues,” it said.
