UN starts implementation of recovery program for S. Sudan
Feb 27, 2006 (JUBA) — The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced here in southern Sudan on Monday that it started to implement its Recovery and Rehabilitation Program (RRP) for Sudan.
A ceremony was held in the Juba Hotel. Officials of the Sudanese Government of National Unity and the government of south Sudan as well as representatives of the European Commission (EC), UNDP and some non-governmental organizations (NGO) signed the documents relating to recovery and rehabilitation projects in five states in southern Sudan.
Another ceremony is to be held later this week in Khartoum for the signature of documents relating to recovery and rehabilitation projects in five states in northern Sudan.
The UNDP said in a statement that a total of 50 Sudanese and international NGOs were working together for the first time in 10 states across Sudan.
These NGOs, along with the communities and the local administrations, will build water points, healthcare units, schools and sanitation systems, develop income-generating projects, address the capacities of local administrations and respond to other priority needs defined by the communities themselves, said the statement.
It said that the RRP was finalized by the EC in the framework of its development assistance it re-launched following the signature of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 with a budget of 50 million euros (about 60 million U.S. dollars).
“The RRP aims at achieving tangible improvements at the community and local administration level whilst providing a foundation for increased productivity from the grass roots,” the statement said.
(Xinhua)