Sudan
http://ochaonline.un.org/sudanThe signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 has resulted in many positive developments in Sudan, including greater opportunities for recovery and development in Southern Sudan for the 2.4 million who have returned and the five million original population (est). Access to basic services such as potable water, education, health services, and shelter has improved significantly and paved the way for recovery and development to take hold.
In 2009, OCHA will continue to play an essential role in coordinating and promoting the humanitarian operation in Darfur, while maintaining a strong response capacity for contingency planning and emergency preparedness in Southern Sudan and the Three Areas. Under the guidance of the Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA will also focus on advocacy efforts, to both internal and external stakeholders – including all parties to the conflict, regional actors, and Member and donor states.
The presence of new Deputy Humanitarian Coordinators in Darfur and in Southern Sudan, with the support of OCHA, will be of strategic importance, ensuring open dialogue and continuity with local authorities, the national Government, humanitarian actors and the two peacekeeping operations in Sudan (UNMIS and UNAMID). OCHA will facilitate information sharing between actors, encouraging common purpose and delivering essential services to those most in need.
In Darfur, the international humanitarian effort has been seriously undermined by the deteriorating security. The partial deployment of UNAMID has been insufficient to provide adequate peacekeeping services. It is anticipated that despite all efforts to address this, both the civilian population and humanitarian actors will suffer increased banditry and targeted violence from fragmented armed groups. Despite this, the aid community remains committed to delivery of life-saving assistance. OCHA also anticipates that temporary suspensions, limited access and reduced capacity will continue to result in service delivery gaps. This will be critical as continued conflict, food insecurity, and limited basic services in isolated areas contribute to humanitarian indicators reaching (and in some areas surpassing) emergency thresholds. New displacements, strains on natural resources and the politicization of internally displaced person camps may lead to competition for services, increased protection issues and accelerated environmental degradation.
To respond to these challenges, the humanitarian reform mechanisms promoted by OCHA will significantly improve contingency planning and response, coordination of humanitarian efforts, fund mobilization, information management and advocacy. This was given a further boost with the formalization of the Cluster Approach in December 2008. OCHA will also continue to play a lead role in implementing the “Regaining Humanitarian Space Strategy;” to monitoring the implementation of the Joint Communiqué on the facilitation of humanitarian assistance in Darfur and managing the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) to provide flexible funding options for the humanitarian and early recovery community.
In Southern Sudan and the Three Areas, floods and droughts have a particularly serious impact on vulnerable populations due to the lack of basic services and civilian infrastructures. The Nile River basin in south and central Sudan is particularly susceptible. Destabilizing intra-communal conflict remains commonplace as well, as seen in several areas along the border of the “Three Areas” (Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile) where disputes have the potential to quickly escalate. OCHA emergency preparedness and response will focus on inter-agency contingency planning for natural disaster, disease and conflict threats. OCHA leads the preparedness and response effort in Darfur and Southern Sudan and supports the Resident Coordinator’s Support Office (RCO) in the north of the country.
Key Objectives, Outputs and Indicators
