Civil society holds Sudan oil conference in Juba to enhance peace
By Manyang Mayom
Nov 1, 2006 (JUBA) — A two-day conference started Wednesday in the capital of southern Sudan, to explore ways of an oil policy that can help government to use petrodollar revenue as an instrument to consolidate peace and bring prosperity.
The opening session of the “Oil and the Future of Sudan” Conference was attended by some guest speakers including Riek Machar, Vice-Presiden of the Government of Southern Sudan, Paul Mayom Akec, the GoSS minister of interior and Gen. (Rtd.) Lazaro Sumbeiywo, the chief mediator of the Intergovernmental Agency on Development (IGAD) peace process that culminated in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Machar welcomed the conference and said that the outcome of the conference will be highly considered by the government
Ms Suzanne Samson Jambo, NESI Coordinator, underlined that management of oil revenues will be a crucial factor on peace implementation. She added governor should be transparent and accountable, able to bring safety and development to the people.
The speakers generally insisted on the role of the civil society to contribute to the elaboration of plans and projects to help federal and South Sudan governments to put the national resources on the service of peace and development of the country.
The conference hopes to provide GoSS with an opportunity to inform a wide audience about its policy for managing the oil sector; provide basic information about Sudan’s oil sector; explore options for financial transparency and accountability; discuss emerging best practices in the international oil industry; and provide a forum for the exchange of and discussion between different groups in society and provide a basis to learn from the experiences in other oil rich countries.
“Oil and the Future of Sudan” is organized by three civil society organizations New Sudan Indigenous NGOs (NESI), and ECOS. NEST is mainly an advocacy group for good governance and sustainable peace in Southern Sudan, and ECOS is an European coalition calls for action by governments and the business sector to ensure that Sudan’s oil wealth contributes to peace and equitable development. While Resource Centre for Civil Leadership (Reconcile) is founded in 2003 by the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) and it plays a important role in the peace process and inter Sudanese reconciliation.
Research shows that developing countries that are highly dependent on the export of primary resources, have lower growth rates, are less democratic, and suffer more often from violent conflict than other developing countries.
(ST)