2025 Australia South Sudan Forum
From Here to Home: Empowering Youth, Strengthening Community, Building Inclusive Peace
Date: Saturday 6th December 2025
Time: 9.00am - 6.00pm
Venue: Arts West Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus
The University of Melbourne’s Initiative for Peacebuilding in collaboration with the South Sudanese Community Association of Victoria warmly invite you to join the 2025 Australia South Sudan Forum. The annual Australia South Sudan Forum is co-convened by the University of Western Australia and the University of Melbourne.
The South Sudan Forum was initiated through the collaborative efforts of Western Australian community leaders and the University of Western Australia (UWA), convened by Professor Richard Vokes and Peter Lual Deng of Africa World Books. Recognising the significant presence of South Sudanese students and graduates at the University, the idea of an annual conference was conceived to strengthen ties between the University and the South Sudanese community.
The first two conferences were held successfully at UWA in Perth, Western Australia. In 2025, the Forum is being hosted at the University of Melbourne at our Parkville Campus in partnership with SSCAV.
The 2025 Australia South Sudan Forum is organised by the University of Melbourne’s Initiative for Peacebuilding team in partnership with the South Sudan Community Association of Victoria and a committee comprising a range of key Victorian professionals, academics, students and community leaders. A full program will be shared ahead of the date.
The aims of the 2025 Forum are:
- Bringing together the expertise from within the South Sudanese Australian community to share knowledge and approaches to meet priority needs for the community.
- The Forum will feature thematic sessions, including youth justice issues, women, mental health issues, leadership and peacebuilding.
- Develop actionable recommendations for different ways in which community and leadership can work to address priority concerns and build on successes.
- Strengthen unity and collaboration between South Sudanese communities in Australia and in South Sudan.
This project is supported by the University of Melbourne Civic and Community Impact Fund.