Agriculture Minister Clement Juma Mbugoniwia speaks during the Ministerial Dialogue on Drought Resilience at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar. – Courtesy photo.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Clement Juma Mbugoniwia, has called on global leaders to increase direct funding for drought-affected fragile states.

He made the call as South Sudan faces severe floods and prolonged droughts that have affected more than 7 million people.

Minister Clement was speaking at the Ministerial Dialogue on Drought Resilience during the 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties, UNCCD COP17, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The conference is being held under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.”

Minister Clement, who is representing South Sudan, said the country wants to move from emergency response to better preparation for drought and other climate risks.

He highlighted cooperation with the UN World Food Programme to set up early warning systems that combine weather forecasts with emergency funding.

The minister also presented digital agriculture programmes that use satellite data and offline platforms to send early warnings to rural farmers.

He said South Sudan is also supporting community-led land restoration projects through the Green Climate Fund.

Minister Juma called for more direct drought funding for conflict-affected countries, better management of shared water resources and the use of traditional pastoral knowledge alongside modern technology.