DDR must move forward, says UNMIS deputy chief

February 18, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) stakeholders must move forward to implement DDR objectives in Sudan, UNMIS Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Taye-Brook Zerihoun said in Khartoum on 17 February.

“As the DDR effort and our own collaboration turns a new page, we need to move forward together … most importantly, we must move now from the conceptual to the practical,” Zerihoun told the 2008 inaugural session of the National DDR Coordination Council.

He stressed, however, that DDR timelines must be realistic. “We cannot declare demobilization without the necessary resources to provide benefits, whether they be goods, money, training or jobs”, he said.

Praising the National Coordinating Council for recently adopting the DDR Strategic Plan, the Deputy Special Representative said the next step under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was for the parties to begin the process of downsizing their armies.

He noted that reintegration projects should precede demobilization of ex-combantants. “Without successful demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, sustainable peace and the accompanying social and economic development will not be possible,” he said.

UNMIS is playing a leading role in coordinating UN system support for DDR with the help of the UN Development Programme, UNICEF, the UN Population Fund and the World Food Programme.

(ST)