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[00:00.000 --> 00:04.280]  The United States, in addition to USAID, our Center for Disease Control, our United States
[00:04.280 --> 00:11.600]  Center for Disease Control, is also very, very engaged in working with South Sudan to
[00:11.600 --> 00:13.440]  address the HIV-AIDS challenge.
[00:13.440 --> 00:19.800]  There are many southern Sudanese out, like for example, United States, highly trained
[00:19.800 --> 00:23.480]  medics that can contribute to this nation building.
[00:23.480 --> 00:28.760]  In terms of linkages and developing human resources down here, what is the agents doing
[00:28.760 --> 00:29.760]  about these?
[00:29.760 --> 00:34.240]  Well, you're right, and that's a tremendous resource for this country.
[00:34.240 --> 00:38.920]  And in my short time here, I've had the good fortune of meeting several of what we call
[00:38.920 --> 00:40.320]  the diaspora.
[00:40.320 --> 00:46.200]  And these are really terrific people who studied in the U.S., who were living there, who probably
[00:46.200 --> 00:50.040]  could have continued their lives there, but they said it's time to go back and to lend
[00:50.040 --> 00:51.200]  a hand.
[00:51.200 --> 00:53.000]  And we work with them.
[00:53.000 --> 00:59.040]  I was just at an event the other day where it was a health event, and there was a gentleman
[00:59.040 --> 01:03.400]  there who was a, I believe he's a Director General from the Ministry of Health.
[01:03.400 --> 01:06.520]  And I told him I was from New Jersey in the United States, and he said I've been to New
[01:06.520 --> 01:07.520]  Jersey.
[01:07.520 --> 01:10.160]  He told me that he had lived in the United States, he'd been educated there, but he
[01:10.160 --> 01:14.880]  has come back to help his country address these health challenges.
[01:14.880 --> 01:20.720]  I've met others like him, and I can only say that it's very gratifying to work with them,
[01:20.720 --> 01:26.800]  that they're extremely effective and committed to development in this country, and they're
[01:26.800 --> 01:32.760]  just a great resource for South Sudan as it moves ahead with facing these great challenges
[01:32.760 --> 01:37.960]  of nation building, of development, and really of taking its rightful place amongst the community
[01:37.960 --> 01:43.920]  of peaceful nations that want to see better lives for their families and for their community.
[01:43.920 --> 01:49.280]  But is the agenda has some scheme of maybe recruiting back these southern national who
[01:49.280 --> 01:54.760]  are United States to come and contribute, because there is a need of many development
[01:54.760 --> 02:01.400]  projects in agriculture, health, education, economic growth, and infrastructure too.
[02:01.400 --> 02:03.040]  Yeah, that's a great point.
[02:03.040 --> 02:09.240]  And let me start by saying that just to give you an idea of how important the presence
[02:09.240 --> 02:15.400]  of South Sudanese are in terms of USAID's projects, and our mission here, our office
[02:15.400 --> 02:22.720]  is here, there are probably, oh I don't know, 20 Americans in the USAID mission in Juba
[02:22.720 --> 02:26.920]  right now, and there's probably 60, 70 South Sudanese.
[02:26.920 --> 02:32.480]  So you can see that when we come to a place like South Sudan, we immediately reach out
[02:32.480 --> 02:40.560]  to some of these experts, and they become our colleagues and our partners, and we rely
[02:40.560 --> 02:45.120]  on them really to do smart investments that can really help development.
[02:45.120 --> 02:50.560]  In terms of bringing people back, we can and we are looking at new projects that we have
[02:50.560 --> 03:00.320]  coming online, how we can maybe recalibrate some of our hiring procedures to bring in
[03:00.320 --> 03:06.040]  people from the United States and from other countries who bring that great human capacity
[03:06.040 --> 03:11.240]  and that tremendous skill set, and that patriotism, you know, those are a wonderful combination.
[03:11.240 --> 03:16.360]  So we are looking for ways to recalibrate some of our project hiring procedures to ensure
[03:16.360 --> 03:18.800]  that we can make good use and leverage that asset.
[03:18.800 --> 03:24.400]  Are you happy with governance and democracy in South Sudan, in this new nation?
[03:24.400 --> 03:31.360]  Well, I can say that the governance challenges are really tremendous.
[03:31.360 --> 03:38.880]  The country is only four months old, barely four months old, and building effective institutions,
[03:38.880 --> 03:41.960]  transparent and accountable institutions is a challenge anywhere.
[03:41.960 --> 03:47.960]  It was a challenge in the United States 200 years ago when we began our history, and it
[03:47.960 --> 03:50.360]  will certainly be a challenge for South Sudan.
[03:50.360 --> 03:57.160]  The USAID is absolutely a key partner with the government of South Sudan on issues of
[03:57.160 --> 03:59.840]  governance, institution building, transparency.
[03:59.840 --> 04:04.720]  We provided assistance for the Public Financial Management Act, which is in draft right now,
[04:04.720 --> 04:06.440]  and the government is considering it.
[04:06.440 --> 04:12.360]  But it's a law that would provide a legal framework that is amongst world standards in
[04:12.360 --> 04:17.240]  terms of proper financial management, proper budgeting, transparency, accountability, etc.
[04:17.240 --> 04:20.920]  Now of course it's the South Sudanese decision, it's the government's decision, the National
[04:20.920 --> 04:24.960]  Assembly's decision on what to do with that law, and that's a sovereign decision that
[04:24.960 --> 04:25.960]  we respect.
[04:25.960 --> 04:32.040]  We gave our best advice on it, but now it will run its course in terms of your government's
[04:32.040 --> 04:34.680]  processes.
[04:34.680 --> 04:39.880]  We will not only support the legal framework, but once the law gets passed, and currently
[04:39.880 --> 04:50.600]  we support the creation of good systems to manage public funds, good systems for accountability,
[04:50.600 --> 04:55.200]  for transparency that we're helping the Ministry of Finance with, and those systems will become,
[04:55.200 --> 05:01.880]  we hope, the standard systems that South Sudan institutions will use to manage their funds.
[05:01.880 --> 05:06.720]  What systems are you putting in?
[05:06.720 --> 05:12.840]  These are simple systems that incorporate the proper checks and balances that one needs
[05:12.840 --> 05:21.640]  when they manage public funds, and these are checks and balances that also incorporate
[05:21.640 --> 05:26.120]  a strong dose of transparency so that citizens can see what their government is doing.
[05:26.120 --> 05:31.440]  That's critical to good governance, that's critical to democratic nation building, and
[05:31.440 --> 05:33.920]  USAID is absolutely part and parcel of that.
[05:33.920 --> 05:38.800]  And a key component of this also is IT systems that simplify the budget process, and training
[05:38.800 --> 05:43.120]  to South Sudanese staff so that they can understand the system, understand the checks
[05:43.120 --> 05:48.880]  and balances, use the information technology, and begin to plan budgets and execute budgets
[05:48.880 --> 05:51.680]  in a more transparent, accountable way.
[05:51.680 --> 05:56.200]  Is there transparency and good management of resources here?
[05:56.200 --> 06:03.240]  I think the government's working on it, and I mean, again, I think it's a challenge.
[06:03.240 --> 06:09.000]  I think without a legal framework, and I think without proper systems, I think there's always
[06:09.000 --> 06:10.000]  risks there.
[06:10.000 --> 06:14.560]  There's risks anywhere, not just in South Sudan, but anywhere in the world, I think,
[06:14.560 --> 06:18.360]  citizens demand of their government transparency and accountability, and you need a legal
[06:18.360 --> 06:25.160]  framework, and you need proper systems, and you need human capacity, and you need trained
[06:25.160 --> 06:27.640]  staff to be able to make it all work.
[06:27.640 --> 06:30.400]  I think South Sudan has made a commitment to that.
[06:30.400 --> 06:34.080]  When I listen to your leaders, they talk about that commitment often, and we want to help
[06:34.080 --> 06:39.120]  them turn those words into actions, and we want to help them bring the legal framework,
[06:39.120 --> 06:45.120]  bring the systems, and bring the human capacity necessary to build this good transparency
[06:45.120 --> 06:46.120]  and this good governance.
[06:46.120 --> 06:53.200]  From your own thought, looking at the foreign policy of the USA or the United States, and
[06:53.200 --> 06:58.160]  looking at the foreign policy of South Sudan, does that one conquer with development-oriented
[06:58.160 --> 06:59.160]  programs?
[06:59.160 --> 07:08.360]  I think we're in a critical moment right now.
[07:08.360 --> 07:15.280]  I arrived here only four days after independence, so this is all a very new experience for South
[07:15.280 --> 07:19.000]  Sudan and for the international community.
[07:19.000 --> 07:25.000]  I was struck by the buoyant sentiment that I felt and the happiness that I felt by the
[07:25.000 --> 07:32.840]  people that I've met here in Juba about this hard-won independence.
[07:32.840 --> 07:38.160]  That moment has passed, the sentiment is still there, and that's a wonderful resource to
[07:38.160 --> 07:47.040]  capitalize on, but certainly the hard decisions and the challenges of governing lie ahead.
[07:47.040 --> 07:53.000]  We stand ready as committed partners to help this government and to help the people of
[07:53.000 --> 07:56.560]  South Sudan to address those challenges.
[07:56.560 --> 08:03.600]  There will be a conference in Washington, D.C., in December, whereby South Sudan will
[08:03.600 --> 08:09.720]  meet with leaders from the United States and from all over the world to talk about some
[08:09.720 --> 08:15.640]  of these very challenges and to talk about a strategic development agenda.
[08:15.640 --> 08:18.480]  We feel very optimistic about that exercise.
[08:18.480 --> 08:24.760]  We believe that we're all coming to that with a level of seriousness and a level of commitment
[08:24.760 --> 08:28.920]  to address these challenges, make the right decision so that South Sudan's future is
[08:28.920 --> 08:31.080]  a bright one.
[08:31.080 --> 08:36.960]  And again, we've had 50 years of support with USAID, and we're committed to continue
[08:36.960 --> 08:40.280]  that support with South Sudan and with other nations around the world.
[08:40.280 --> 08:46.600]  What experience can you share from being in South Sudan in terms of the program of USAID?
[08:46.600 --> 08:49.440]  I had a good experience just last week.
[08:49.440 --> 08:50.600]  We were out in Jongle State.
[08:50.600 --> 08:58.280]  We were in Boer, and we were handing over five speedboats, small, simple speedboats,
[08:58.280 --> 09:02.280]  to county commissioners and county officials who live up and down the Nile River and other
[09:02.280 --> 09:08.760]  rivers in Jongle State to help them, again, extend the reach of the state, stay in close
[09:08.760 --> 09:15.080]  contact with their communities as a way of mitigating conflict.
[09:15.080 --> 09:19.760]  And what I liked about that, frankly, was that those boats weren't USAID's idea.
[09:19.760 --> 09:24.240]  Those boats came from those county commissioners who said, you know, I want to try to mitigate
[09:24.240 --> 09:29.400]  conflict in my area, but there really are no roads, so I have access problems.
[09:29.400 --> 09:31.120]  But what about using the river more?
[09:31.120 --> 09:34.480]  What about making better use of the river to move around our region?
[09:34.480 --> 09:38.280]  And it's that kind of development that we love to support in USAID.
[09:38.280 --> 09:47.280]  We love it when, you know, our modest investments can support local ideas, local initiatives,
[09:47.280 --> 09:52.920]  local energy, and really help find those local champions who have good ideas on how to solve
[09:52.920 --> 09:55.840]  their problems, and we want to partner with those people.
[09:55.840 --> 10:00.480]  And I feel like, and I hope that that's what we did last week in Boer and in Jongle State,
[10:00.480 --> 10:04.680]  with the state government, with the state ministry of decentralization, and with these
[10:04.680 --> 10:05.680]  county commissioners.
[10:05.680 --> 10:09.760]  So, infrastructure, you are constructing the highway, Juvenile Road.
[10:09.760 --> 10:11.800]  Yeah, no, that's an important one.
[10:11.800 --> 10:16.280]  Will there be some design being done in other places?
[10:16.280 --> 10:23.680]  Well, we do have some road plans in addition to the Juvenile Road.
[10:23.680 --> 10:28.760]  The Juvenile Road, we're planning to finish it in the next 12 months.
[10:28.760 --> 10:32.680]  We work very closely with the Ministry of Roads on this.
[10:32.680 --> 10:42.680]  It's important, it's important for access, for safety, it's important for economic integration.
[10:42.680 --> 10:49.040]  It's important to help this country get more engaged economically with its neighbors.
[10:49.040 --> 10:53.320]  It can really spur economic development and job growth and those kinds of things, and
[10:53.320 --> 10:56.000]  that's our hope for the Juvenile Road.
[10:56.000 --> 11:01.080]  We have some smaller road investments planned, mostly feeder roads to help connect farmers
[11:01.080 --> 11:06.680]  to markets, because this country has incredible agricultural potential, and we are currently
[11:06.680 --> 11:15.240]  working in the agricultural sector, and we've supported roads in the past, we continue to
[11:15.240 --> 11:18.480]  support them today, and our support will continue.
[11:18.480 --> 11:22.880]  I don't know if it will continue at the same level as the Juvenile Road, that really is
[11:22.880 --> 11:24.880]  a high capital investment.
[11:24.880 --> 11:31.040]  This country has oil, it has tremendous revenue from oil, and we're helping this country
[11:31.040 --> 11:39.280]  to a market oil so that they can ensure that the public finances are healthy, and we're
[11:39.280 --> 11:48.440]  also helping South Sudan to think through options for saving oil revenues for the future
[11:48.440 --> 11:53.800]  and for investing oil revenues, and that's a great source of investment for roads.
[11:53.800 --> 11:58.040]  But the roads challenge in this country is so big that I think it's beyond the scope
[11:58.040 --> 12:06.160]  of any one donor, we feel like we've done our part, and we will continue in more modest
[12:06.160 --> 12:12.280]  ways, but we really believe and we would welcome a more concerted effort amongst the government
[12:12.280 --> 12:16.480]  of South Sudan and the international community to take on this problem because it is key
[12:16.480 --> 12:17.720]  to development.
[12:17.720 --> 12:23.000]  What is the future plan for the organization now in 2012?
[12:23.000 --> 12:29.320]  Well we continue, we're currently working under a Washington approved program that goes
[12:29.320 --> 12:34.640]  out to 2013, and we fully expect to continue beyond 2013, and we'll continue in these
[12:34.640 --> 12:39.080]  same areas, conflict mitigation, health, education, economic growth, which includes agriculture
[12:39.080 --> 12:41.720]  and infrastructure, and our humanitarian work.
[12:41.720 --> 12:43.560]  A pleasure having you Peter.
[12:43.560 --> 12:46.520]  Thank you very much, Kisitu, and thanks to your viewers.
[12:46.520 --> 12:47.520]  Thank you.
[12:47.520 --> 12:48.520]  Okay, thanks.
[12:48.520 --> 12:49.520]  Yeah, a pleasure.
[12:49.520 --> 12:50.520]  Okay.
[12:50.520 --> 12:59.960]  Thank you very much for this interview.
[13:20.520 --> 13:33.720]  I'm calling out to the whole.
[13:33.720 --> 13:53.840]  Thank you very much.
[13:53.840 --> 14:09.080]  Thank you very much.
[14:09.080 --> 14:27.760]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[14:27.760 --> 14:43.080]  Thank you very much.
[14:43.080 --> 15:00.440]  Thank you very much.
[15:00.440 --> 15:25.240]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[15:25.240 --> 15:51.240]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[15:51.240 --> 16:19.640]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[16:19.640 --> 16:49.440]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[16:49.440 --> 17:14.440]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[17:14.440 --> 17:43.040]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[17:43.040 --> 18:12.840]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[18:12.840 --> 18:42.640]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[18:42.640 --> 19:12.440]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[19:12.440 --> 19:38.240]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[19:38.240 --> 20:08.040]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[20:08.040 --> 20:37.840]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[20:37.840 --> 21:06.640]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[21:06.640 --> 21:36.440]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[21:36.440 --> 22:06.240]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[22:06.240 --> 22:36.040]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[22:36.040 --> 23:05.840]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[23:05.840 --> 23:35.640]  Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you very much for your time, Mr. President.
[23:35.640 --> 24:03.440]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[24:03.440 --> 24:23.240]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[24:23.240 --> 24:50.040]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[24:50.040 --> 25:18.840]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[25:18.840 --> 25:47.640]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[25:47.640 --> 26:17.440]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[26:17.440 --> 26:47.240]  Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[26:47.240 --> 27:17.040]  Thank you very much, Mr President.
[27:17.040 --> 27:42.840]  Thank you very much, Mr President.
[27:42.840 --> 28:12.640]  Thank you very much, Mr President.
[28:12.640 --> 28:42.440]  Thank you very much, Mr President.
[28:42.440 --> 29:12.240]  Thank you very much, Mr President.
[29:12.240 --> 29:42.040]  Thank you very much, Mr President.
[29:42.040 --> 29:59.840]  Thank you very much.