The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization – CEPO in partnership with Light for the World and the South Sudan National Association for the Deaf will next week officially open a Sign Language Learning Center in Juba.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director for CEPO, said the establishment of the sign language learning center is in line with demands of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which was recently ratified by the transitional unity government.

“CEPO is taking proactive role in enforcing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and that its optional protocol is genuinely and timely implemented,” said Yakani on Friday in a statement issued in Juba.

The sign language center is set to open on May 14, 2024.

Sophia Mohammed, the Country Director of Light for the World in South Sudan, said the public, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector actors must enroll for sign language classes for promotion of societal inclusion in terms of communication and sharing of information.

Nema Juma, the Communication and Advocacy officer of Light for the World, said the launch of the sign language center is a collective advocacy and lobby on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.

“It is a moment of ensuring that all actors in South Sudan walk the talk on disability inclusion in all aspects of life, standing up for meaningful participation and representation of the persons with disabilities in society and respect for human rights,” Juma said.