UN Strategic Objective Two: Support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements.

UN Strategic Objective Three: Assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and rule of law, in particular in Darfur and the Two Areas.

Peace, and stability at the community level are essential preconditions for development and progress towards the fulfilment of the SDGs in Sudan. Unfortunately, political uncertainty and security situation remains fragile in much of the country, including in Darfur, East Sudan, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Many regions in Sudan suffer from recurring cycles of violence spurred by competition over natural resources, water points, livestock, and other assets such as water points, livestock, and gold mines. Of Sudan’s over 3 million displaced persons, 440 000 were newly-displaced in 2021. The cumulative impact of conflict and climate change is severely impacting rural livelihoods and food security. While efforts to address the country’s national political crisis are ongoing, the overall economic situation remains dire with an average inflation rate of 350% in 2021. Many of these negative trends are felt most at the local level in conflict-affected and highly vulnerable communities.

UNDP in Sudan has adopted an Area-Based approach to Programming (ABD) to achieve Community Stabilization and Peace, in a highly integrated yet decentralized manner.
ABD is a tailored programming approach for integrated socio-economic recovery and community resilience designed to respond to the current crisis in Sudan. It is centred on addressing the multidimensional aspects of poverty and vulnerability, Strengthening community resilience and social cohesion, and enabling the rehabilitation of critical economic, social and environmental infrastructure, that are under threat due to crisis, climate change and economic collapse.

Across Sudan, UNDP works at community, sub-national and national levels in support of peace and stabilization efforts, and to address the drivers of violent conflict. At the community level, we focus on expanding livelihoods for vulnerable communities in Sudan, often alongside the private sector, to generate livelihoods, establish value chains and scalable solutions that enable economic growth, rural development and stability.

 

Our work also focuses on providing durable solutions for communities hosting refugees, IDPs and returnees;  predominantly within the framework of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus to enable smooth transition from vulnerability and aid dependency towards more self-reliant and resilient communities.  The equitable participation of young women and men in economic, political and peacebuilding processes is a guiding principle for our community engagement. Together, these efforts are designed to consolidate and sustain local peaceful coexistence and are supported by activities to improve local governance and service delivery at the locality level.

More broadly, we support the emergence and implementation of local-level peace agreements, and a range of peace-related dialogues and policy efforts, while simultaneously strengthening local capacities for conflict resolution and conflict prevention. Nationally, at state-level, we support the promotion and  implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement.
Closely aligned with UNITAMS and other partners, UNDP will continue to contribute towards achieving the Sudanese people’s aspirations for a peaceful democratic transition in Sudan, through integrated support across our Peace and Stabilization, Rule of Law and Justice Reform, Health for Development, and Democratic Transition and Economic Recovery portfolios.

Our solutions

• Using an area-based approach and together with our partners, provide tailored comprehensive community stabilization package addressing the most urgent needs of conflict affected and highly vulnerable communities.
• Generating or expanding livelihoods for Sudan’s most vulnerable, by providing training, new market access, and improved tools and approaches to commodity, agriculture or livestock production.
• Generating livelihood opportunities in rural, urban, and peri-urban areas, focusing on the most vulnerable, including nomadic communities and displaced persons in border areas, working with UNHCR and IOM to find durable solutions for return (when refugees/internally displaced persons no longer have any specific assistance and protection needs linked to their displacement).
• Supporting peace in conflict-affected communities through community-based conflict-resolution mechanisms, dialogue, mediation, and negotiation.
• Supporting local peace and community security through gender protection, community policing, youth empowerment, the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) and countering hate speech, as well as arts and sports for peace initiatives.
• Supporting national and local efforts on reintegration as part of a national strategy on ex-combatant Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, including community-based reintegration and the reduction of violence as part of peace agreements.

Achievements in 2021 include:

• Over 1.5 million of Sudan’s most conflict-vulnerable people supported via stabilization projects
• Over 190,000 people supported with local development projects
• 142 local conflict and dispute mechanisms established in 2021 – assisting over 504,000 people and resolving 893 cases
• Distribution of 42 community assets including water yards, markets, livelihood hubs, warehouses, and irrigation dams
• 47,257 people empowered through local initiatives via 129 Community Management Committees – established to oversee development projects – with 24 new committees created
• Over 600 at-risk youth provided with vocational training
• 24 football and volleyball teams supported under Sports for Peace initiatives in Darfur.

Our valued partners