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Foni Joyce is a refugee from South Sudan.

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Phony, thank you for joining us.

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The United Nations estimated
that there were

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20 million refugees worldwide
at the end of last year.

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We often hear such macro level statistics

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but it is the more personal stories

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that can resonate and
bring about awareness and change.

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Can you please tell us more about

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your own experience,
as a refugee.

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Thank you so much.

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As you've said, my name is Foni Joyce

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I was born in Sudan but,
originally from South Sudan.

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My parents fled our country in 1981

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due to war and they had
to take a long walk

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from South Sudan into Uganda

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before they made it to Kenya

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and it was one of those experiences

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you were literally running for your life.

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Because my father was a journalist yeah,

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and there were people pursuing him

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because they believed that
he was an informant

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and he literally had to

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take a long walk
to just survive,

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make sure his family is safe
and he ended up in Nairobi,

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where we stay currently
with my siblings and my mother.

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We are speaking ahead of
The UN General Assembly

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high-level plenary meeting
on addressing

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large movements of refugees and migrants

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to be held September 19th 2016.

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This will serve as a key forum
for member states,

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to determine a plan
to meet refugees

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immediate humanitarian
and longer-term development needs.

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How can the outcome of this summit

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make a difference for people
like you and your family?

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The outcome of this summit

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plays a vital role,

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'cause policies will be made
and the policies that will be made

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will affect my life,
my siblings' life

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and other refugees
in a positive way,

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because if policies are made

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regarding education, social services,

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regarding work permit and all that,

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it enables us as refugee
to become humanitarian actors

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in our own space.

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It gives us the capability
to be empowered

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and whence we're empowered

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it automatically leads to

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creating, making us become
piece builders for a country,

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so, if there's a positive policymaking
from this summit

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then definitely it has
a great impact in our life.

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You've also been involved with
the global refugee youth consultations.

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What language do you hope to see

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in the anticipated summit
outcome document

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the Global Compact on refugees

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to ensure the unique contributions
of young people,

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to this process are represented?

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I hope to see more opportunities
for young people

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more opportunities for them
to voice out the ideas,

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more opportunities for them to

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take leadership roles and skills,

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because I believe if
they're given that opportunity,

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then definitely they become leaders,

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they become the change
that we want to see.

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By this, the whole global summit
and stuff

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I hope to see see more
educational opportunities for them,

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capacity-building skills for them,

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and they become more enlightened

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and more active in what they're doing.

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So it changes their lives and they become

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better people that will lead
the future generations.

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You mentioned peacebuilding.

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Youth are often considered
a threat by many.

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What do you think would help
to ensure that young people

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can be leaders in peace building?

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Young people can be leaders
in peace building

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if they're given the opportunity.

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If they're empowered,
if they are mentored.

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The young people have
untapped potential

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and if they're ignored,
if no one pays attention to them,

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then anything that will make
will anyone or anything that

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will pay attention to them
distracts them.

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But if we pay attention
to the skills they have,

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if we invest in the skills that
young people have,

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then definitely they become peacebuilders.

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If we ignore them and
think of them as passive actors,

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it won't really matter much

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because they'll feel like
no one is paying attention to them.

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But if we take that time and

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give them the attention they want,

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if we listen to them,

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if we mentor them,
if we build their skills,

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if we, if we walk with them,

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mentoring them in different things,

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in different spaces then,
they'll see the need of using

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this potential they have

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and we end up becoming peace builders.

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Well, thank you so much for joining us
and sharing your story.

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It was a privilage.
Thank you.

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Thank you
Foni Joyce