Foni Joyce is a refugee from South Sudan.
Phony, thank you for joining us.
The United Nations estimated that there were
20 million refugees worldwide at the end of last year.
We often hear such macro level statistics
but it is the more personal stories
that can resonate and bring about awareness and change.
Can you please tell us more about
your own experience, as a refugee.
Thank you so much.
As you've said, my name is Wendy Joyce
I was born in Sudan but, originally from South Sudan.
My parents fled our country in 1981
due to war and they had
to take a long walk from South Sudan
into Uganda before they made it to Kenya
and it was one of those experiences
you were literally running for your life.
Because my father was a journalist yeah,
and there were people pursuing him
because they believed that he was an informant
and he literally had to
take a long walk to just survive
make sure his family is safe and he ended up in Nairobi,
where we stay currently with my siblings and my mother.
We are speaking ahead of The UN General Assembly
high-level plenary meeting on addressing
large movements of refugees and migrants
to be held September 19th 2016.
This will serve as a key forum for member states
to determine a plan to meet refugees
immediate humanitarian and longer-term development needs.
How can the outcome of this summit
make a difference for people like you and your family
The outcome of this summit
plays a vital role cause
policies will be made and the policies that will be made
when affect my life, my siblings' life
and other refugees in a positive way,
because if policies are made
regarding education, social services,
regarding work permit and all that,
it enables us as refugee to become humanitarian actors
in our own space.
It gives us the capability to be empowered
and whence we're empowered
it automatically leads to
creating, making us become piece builders for a country,
so, if there's a positive policymaking from this summit
then definitely it has a great impact in our life.
You've also been involved with the global refugee youth consultations.
What language do you hope to see
in the anticipated summit outcome document
the Global Compact on refugees
to ensure the unique contributions of young people,
to this process are represented?
I hope to see more opportunities for young people
more opportunities for them to voice out the ideas,
more opportunities for them to
take leadership roles and skills,
because I believe if they're given that opportunity
then definitely they become leaders,
they become the change that
we want to see.
By this, the whole global summit and stuff
I hope to see see more educational opportunities for them,
capacity-building skills for them,
and they become more enlightened
and more active in what they're doing.
So it changes their lives and they become
better people that will lead
their future generations.
You mentioned peacebuilding.
Youth are often considered a threat by many.
What do you think would help to ensure that young people
can be leaders in peace building?
Young people can be leaders in peace building
if they're given the opportunity.
If they're empowered, if they are mentored.
The young people have untapped potential
and if they're ignored, if no one pays attention to them,
then anything that will make will anyone or then anything
that will pay attention to them distracts them.
But if we pay attention to the skills they have,
if we invest in the skills that young people have,
then definitely they become peacebuilders.
If we ignore them and think of them as passive actors
it won't really matter much
because they'll feel like no one is paying attention to them.
But if we take that time and
give them the atthention they want,
if we listen to them,
if we mentor them, if we build their skills,
if we, if we walk with them,
mentoring them in different things,
in different spaces then, they'll see the need of using
this potential they have
and we end up becoming peace builders.
Well, thank you so much for joining us
and sharing your story.
It was a privilage. Thank you.
Thank you Foni Joyce