The South Sudan Women's Empowerment Network (SSWEN) is preparing for the first National Women's Conference to be held in Juba, the capital of South Sudan August 17th - 19th 2008.

Women in the Sudan face huge challenges after 22 years of civil war. These include; restricted civil and political rights; repressive laws; inadequate education, training, and health care; trauma from prolonged exposure to war, violence, destitution, and displacement; health hazards including malaria and HIV/AIDS and other STDs; and family violence. The conference aims to begin to address these major issues by bringing together over 200 women leaders to promote women's rights and protections in the post-conflict period.

The objectives of the conference include the following:
1.To enhance communication and collaboration among women leaders of organizations focused on Sudanese women’s issues.
2.Expand the leadership capacity of women and women’s organizations to accelerate the reconstruction process
3.To advocate for attaining and surpassing the current quota of 25% female representation in the national government
4. To conduct an accurate census counts of women and women-headed households, and a correct reflection of women’s contributions to the economy
5. To address and decrease violence against women