UNDP Administrator: 2020 is once in a lifetime opportunity to support Sudan

The international community must immediately boost its support to Sudan to accelerate its transition to civilian rule, allowing it to sustain peace and accelerate much-need development, said Achim Steiner, the Head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as he concluded his three-day visit to Sudan — the first-ever by a UNDP Administrator.

“Having met with communities and leaders from across society, I believe that the international community now has a once in a lifetime opportunity to foster lasting peace and democracy which will set the country on a positive development trajectory — including a much stronger economy,” said Steiner.

Steiner’s visit coincides with a historic time when national institutions, including the recently appointed government, manage a complex transition which aims to usher Sudan into civilian, democratic rule by the end of 2022. It also comes in the wake of a crucial Donor Roundtable held in London earlier this month at which donors pledged strong support to address Sudan’s immediate humanitarian needs — aid which remains a critical focus for the United Nations (UN) and wider international community. The country is also currently contending with spiraling economic challenges including an official unemployment rate of 21 percent, according to the IMF.

In meetings with senior leadership in the country, Steiner outlined how UNDP will continue to provide tailored support to critical state institutions to strengthen their ability to manage the transition — and to enable them to make inroad on a range of critical issues now facing the country.

UNDP will scale-up its existing support on strengthening critical governance functions — a priority in the transitional process. This will help the state facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights, apply the rule of law and deliver justice.

UNDP will also expand its work on community development and the strengthening of state- and local-level institutions so that communities can enjoy the tangible dividends of peace. UNDP also remains committed to helping woman and youth carve a space for more meaningful political and social participation.

UNDP will also build upon its pioneering work with the ministries of Agriculture and Energy on solar-powered irrigation to boost productivity and lessen dependence on fossil fuels in agriculture — a critical sector that contributes 30 percent of Sudan’s GDP and employs 80 percent of the population.

“In such a vast country, where the power infrastructure requires a major overhaul, immediate investment in off-grid solar-powered electricity is critical to drive the economy forward,” said Steiner.

In Darfur, Steiner inaugurated the regional office of the National Human Rights Commission together with United Nations Assistance Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). In 2019 alone, UNDP supported more than 500 initiatives in Darfur, which reached over 500,000 people, with women who represented 52 percent of the beneficiaries.

Original source: UNDP
Published on 30 January 2020