Hon. Awut Deng Acuil is the first female appointed as:

1. Minister of Education for South Sudan in March, 2020; and only the second person to serve as Minister of Education for her country which became independent country in 2011; 
2. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, recently;
3. Minister of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development;
4. Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare as well as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management; and
5. Minister Acuil is the first female to lead a South Sudan University as Chairperson at University of Bahr el-Ghazal Council.

Since 2005, Minister Acuil has served as Presidential Advisor on Gender and Human Rights.

Her long and impressive history of public service began during a challenging time in her life. During the civil war in Sudan, she spent years as a refugee in diaspora with her children. Following the death of her husband in the liberation struggle, Minister Acuil went on to continue her education and become a fierce advocate for peace, gender equality and human rights.

Minister Acuil became active in a number of organizations, training others in conflict resolution and advocating for peace. She is a founding member of the Sudanese Women Association in Nairobi, Women waging Peace, Sudanese Women Voice for Peace, Pankar Peace Council and as well as founding member of Catholic Bishops Conference. These experiences, coupled with led to her participation in eventual peace negotiations between the North and South. She gained international recognition for these efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in her war-torn nation when she was awarded the InterAction Humanitarian Award in 2002 and Global Leadership Award in 2006. Awut Deng was the second female after Grace Marshal.

Awut Deng was a grass-root peace mobilizer with New Sudan Council of Churches in 2000 – 2005.

Awut Deng Acuil has been Minister of General Education and Instruction for South Sudan since March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on education globally and further exacerbated existing barriers to education in her country. Not one to balk in the face of challenge, Minister Acuil continues to champion for the rights of children and teachers, protection and education of young and future generations of South Sudan.

As the Minister of General Education and Instruction, Awut Deng Acuil is supporting new initiatives in education with partners that aim to open the doors to learning for children throughout South Sudan who have been too-often excluded girls and boys affected by conflict, students with disabilities, and pastoralist children who herd cattle’s.

Minister Awut was elected member of National Liberation Council of Sudan People Liberation Movement and member of SPLM Political Bureau. She also served as SPLM Secretary for External Relations of SPLM, elected Secretary of Information of Wunlit Peace Council, a grass root people to people Peace Initiative that reconciled the Nuer and Dinka communities in 1999.

Awut Deng initiated Pankar Peace and good governance which reconciled the Lakes and Warrap communities in 2003 – 2004.