South Sudan - Welcome to the UN

South Sudan Flag raised in UN, Nairobi

(August 25, 2011, UNIC Nairobi ) - Free at last! That must have been the shared thought as UN staff and various delegations witnessed South Sudan’s flag-raising ceremony at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), marking the admission of the world's newest country as the 193rd member of the United Nations.

“This flag-raising is the culmination of several decades of a struggle for self determination for which the people of South Sudan have long yearned,” UNON Director-General Sahle-Work Zewde said at the ceremony at UNON on 24 August 2011. Ms. Zewde assured the guests of the UN’s commitment to continue working with the people of South Sudan to ensure that its future generations can peacefully enjoy the fruits of independence and the great potential of their country.

The flag, with a triangle at the hoist and a gold star inside it, has emblematic colors - black representing the South Sudanese people, white standing for peace, red embodying the blood shed for freedom, green symbolizing the land and blue for the waters of the Nile. The gold "star of Bethlehem" in the triangle represents the hope of the South Sudanese people.

Addressing the guests, South Sudanese Ambassador Majok Guandong Thiep conveyed the gratitude of the people and Government of South Sudan, “we register a vote of thanks to all countries, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations and all those who funded the peace process and helped us during our long journey of the struggle”.

Ambassador Majok thanked all those who contributed to the negotiations that led to the signing of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) saying that his country would uphold the commitment to maintain cordial relations with its neighbours and extend similar friendship to the rest of the world.

The Republic of South Sudan formally seceded from Sudan on 9 July 2011 as a result of an internationally monitored referendum held in January 2011, and ‎was admitted as a new Member State ‎by the United Nations General Assembly on 14 ‎July 2011.