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UK Development Assistance in Sudan

Related pages: Sudan homepage | Southern Sudan | Darfur | Quick facts

How does DFID work in Sudan?

DFID has two offices in Sudan. In Khartoum, we have an office of around 30 staff, working closely with and co-located with the British Embassy. In Southern Sudan, DFID works through the Joint Donor Office, a shared structure which is hosted by the Netherlands and includes Norway, Sweden, Denmark as well as the UK. The team includes two DFID staff. In London, the joint DFID/FCO Sudan Unit oversees the UK’s overall engagement in Sudan with a particular focus on responding to the crisis in Darfur.

DFID’s programme in Sudan

In 2006/07, UK assistance was allocated as follows:

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Governance and conflict

Poor governance is a cause of poverty. People suffer when governments don’t allow participation in political life, provide access to justice, deliver adequate public services or control corruption. Peace is a pre-condition for good governance, so in Darfur, DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are:

• putting pressure on the parties to stop the fighting and working to get an effective peacekeeping operation on the ground to provide protection.
• supporting the essential work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to promote the safety and security of people affected by the conflict by providing £5m in 2006.
• trying to prevent a return to conflict, DFID is working with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and FCO to provide support for implementing the security provisions in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

The Africa Conflict Prevention Pool allocation is focused on supporting Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programmes in the North and South, as well as promoting Security Sector Reform.

The crisis in Darfur stems from the same governance problems that caused the civil war between the North and South – lack of equitable sharing of power and wealth in Sudan and competition over scarce water and land resources exacerbated by the expansion of the Sahel desert in recent decades. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement contains provisions for improving both power-sharing and wealth-sharing, so effective implementation is essential. We are providing support to the key Commissions for implementing the CPA, such as the National Civil Service Commission and the National Judiciary Commission.

DFID is working to make the Government in Sudan more capable, accountable and responsive by:

• Capable: DFID is strengthening the police and judiciary in the North and the South. The Capacity Building Programme for the Government of South Sudan has renovated the Government Accountancy Centre, provided general management courses for members of the Southern Sudan Public Service and supported drafting of Public Finance legislation and regulations.
• Accountable: DFID is supporting preparations for the elections due in 2008, including strengthening Political Parties and promoting civic education. DFID is providing support to strengthen Parliamentary oversight. We are encouraging the Government to join the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, and we will support a strengthened civil society and the media.
• Responsive: The Multi-Donor Trust Funds are designed to help Governments focus spending on the most urgent priorities and war-affected areas. We are working to ensure all sectors of society are included in the preparation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP).

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Humanitarian Aid and Access to Basic Services

In Darfur, UN agencies and NGOs are providing emergency shelter, food aid, health care and access to water to 3.6 million conflict-affected people. This population is highly dependent on relief but the increasing insecurity in Darfur is preventing humanitarian agencies from operating effectively, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to aid. As has become the case in Darfur, across other parts of Sudan prolonged fighting has meant that there is minimal ability by the Government to provide services. We are looking at how to build local capacity, particularly in the South and the East, but in the immediate term there is still a need to support direct humanitarian interventions.

In South Sudan, DFID is supporting an interim Basic Services Fund aimed at financing major NGOs in service provision until the new regional, state and local governments are capable of taking over. The first phase of this programme is designed to benefit over 900,000 people, providing essential services such as:

• 190 boreholes
• building 4 schools
• training 300 teachers and 270 health sector staff.

HIV and AIDS is apparently comparatively low in Sudan, although the UN is undertaking work to try and establish more reliable data. $7.8m (North) and $8.8m (South) have been provided from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

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Promoting employment and pro-poor growth

Economic growth in Sudan is narrowly based on oil production and export, which in other countries has reinforced inequalities between elites and the rest of the population. DFID is working with the World Bank and IMF to promote broader based economic growth. Through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund we are supporting investment in the agriculture sector, and infrastructure, as well as provision of microfinance. When appropriate, DFID is ready to support the Government of National Unity to apply for debt relief through the HIPC process.

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Responding to Climate Change

The effects of climate change are most extreme furthest away from the sea. El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur is the furthest place from the sea anywhere in Africa. Darfur is already suffering from the effects of climate change, which has exacerbated the loss of fertile land and the scarcity of water. These resource pressures have led to violent conflict. It is essential that the humanitarian response, and work on recovery in the region take full account of these environmental pressures, and promote more sustainable management of these limited resources. Without international action on climate change, there could be many more conflicts like Darfur.

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Making aid effective

• Harmonisation between donors is a high priority for DFID in Sudan. This is particularly important in Southern Sudan, where governance structures are very weak. The Joint Donor Office is designed to reduce the burden on the new Government.
• The majority of our support to Sudan is delivered through pooled funding mechanisms. Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, two Multi-donor Trust Funds (MDTFs) were established– one to address national issues, and the other for South Sudan. The MDTFs are administered by the World Bank and support priorities jointly established by the Government and donors. The Government provides $2 for every $1 contributed by donors.
• Most of our humanitarian funding is spent through the multi-donor Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF), through which the UN ensures that the most urgent priorities in the UN Work Plan receive funding. The Work Plan aims to support 5.5 million people across Sudan.
• In addition to strong support for the UN Work Plan, DFID is contributing to strengthening the UN in Sudan through a Strategic Partnership with UNDP, jointly funded with other donors, which focuses on effective UN support for Governance and the Rule of Law in the North and South.
• There is currently no national plan for poverty reduction. We are providing technical assistance for the Government of National Unity to draw up a National Strategic Plan that would address poverty reduction. In South Sudan, preparation of the budget has a strong focus on poverty reduction.

How does DFID work with Civil Society in Sudan?

International NGOs are essential partners in Sudan, particularly in the humanitarian response in Darfur, and for delivering basic services in the South. In Darfur, we spend £19m through NGOs and the majority of the Basic Services Fund in the South is delivered by NGO partners. We have been consistently defending and promoting the ability of NGOs, both national and international, to operate effectively in Sudan, particularly in Darfur. The challenge in the South and East is to ensure NGOs work in a way that supports longer term development. We are also looking to work more closely with civil society groups focused on improving governance.

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