Sudan, UN sign agreement to ease aid access in Darfur
March 28, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan and the United Nations today have reached a new agreement designed to ease humanitarian groups’ access to refugees in troubled Darfur in Sudan.
In a formal ceremony on Wednesday held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations and the Government of Sudan signed a Joint Communiqué on facilitation of humanitarian activities in Darfur.
The Communiqué was signed by Ali Karti, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, for the Government of Sudan, and by Manuel Aranda da Silva, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for the UN system in Sudan, on behalf of the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes.
The Communiqué stipulates specific provisions on a number of issues of procedural nature, including issuance of visas, travel documents, registration of INGOs and conditions of work and recruitment of INGOs’ personnel as well as custom clearance of items imported by INGOs.
The Communiqué also stipulates that a high level committee will be established by the Government of the Sudan that will meet on a monthly basis. The committee will be co-chaired by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General/Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator of the UN.
It will have as permanent members: the Commissioner General of Humanitarian Aid, a senior representative of the Department of Peace and Humanitarian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and two senior representatives of international and national NGO to be nominated by their respective communities.
Three representatives of the international community (one from the three main humanitarian donors of the Darfur operation, one from the African Union and one from the Arab League) will be granted observer status.
As per invitation of any of the co-chairs of the committee and as required by the agenda, senior representatives from other relevant government ministerial departments, UN and NGOs may attend.
More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur during four years of fighting between local rebels, the Sudanese army and their allied janjaweed militias. Over 2 million live in refugee camps scattered over the vast arid region, while another 230,000 now live in refugee camps on the Chadian side of the border.
(UNMIS/ST)