FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUBA, March 20, 2024 – His Excellency Aly-Khan Rajani, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of South Sudan, presented his letters of credence today to the His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan.
During his first official meeting with President Kiir, Ambassador Rajani underscored Canada's commitment to its relationship with South Sudan, and reaffirmed Canada's interest in supporting values like peace, prosperity, democracy, and inclusion during this critical moment for the country. The two spoke about the deep people-to-people that bind Canada and South Sudan together.
Ambassador Rajani highlighted Canada's status as number four country donor in South Sudan, with investments development and humanitarian assistance totaling over US$100M last year covering health, education, food security, and sustainable livelihoods. The Ambassador also raised how Canada is supporting an enabling environment ahead of the country's elections, slated for December 2024, by investing directly in South Sudanese-led organizations, in particular, women and youth-led organizations across the country, as well as Canadian and international organizations.
Specifically on the elections, Ambassador Rajani reiterated Canada's support for a process that is fundamentally owned and led by South Sudan and encouraged dialogue across parties and society to work towards elections at the end of this year and emphasized the underlying values that should underpinning these elections: being conducted in an environment of free civic and political space; where peace and security is protected by a national, unified security sector, under a single chain of command; a spirit of national ownership fueled by political will and government-funded institutions; and where violence is rejected as a political tool by the country's leadership.
BIOGRAPHY:
Ambassador Rajani arrived in South Sudan in September 2023, after serving as Departmental Liaison in the office of Canada's Minister of International Development. Since joining the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 2007, Ambassador Rajani has served in a variety of positions, including on the Afghanistan Taskforce at the Privy Council Office, and as Senior Advisor to the President of CIDA. His past postings have included Cairo and Beirut (Head of Cooperation), New Delhi (Head of Advocacy and Public Affairs), and Mumbai (acting Head of Political/Economic). Prior to joining the Canadian Foreign Service, Ambassador Rajani served in a variety of humanitarian and development assistance roles, including in crisis settings.
For information, please contact:
John Kuzee, Embassy of Canada to South Sudan
+211911001062
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