UN General Assembly to hold sideline meeting on Sudan crisis
September 14, 2023 (NEW YORK) – A meeting aimed at mobilizing support and strengthening humanitarian response to the Sudan crisis will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General assembly later this month.
Amiera AlHefeiti, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) mission to the UN, told the Security Council Wednesday that it is important for the international community to urgently focus on responding to Sudan’s humanitarian situation.
“We look forward to the outcomes of the meeting to mobilize support and strengthen the humanitarian response to the Sudan and the region, under the aegis of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the state of Qatar along with other regional and international partners and which is set to be held on the sidelines of the 78th session of the General Assembly,” she said.
The diplomat specifically commended Sudanese organizations and community groups that have continued delivering aid under very challenging circumstances.
She appealed for the establishment of new partnerships at the local, regional, and international levels in order to achieve a tangible impact on the ground.
According to AlHefeiti, a lasting and immediate ceasefire is essential to protect civilians and humanitarian workers and mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
“The interest of the Sudanese people must be put above all considerations,” she stressed, adding that “UAE supports regional efforts to end this crisis, including those by African Union through its “road map”, as well as those by LAS and IGAD”.
Edem Wosornu, the Director, Operations and Advocacy Division at the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA), described the meting as important opportunity to show the people of Sudan that they have not been forgotten and that the international community is committed to supporting them in their time of need.
The current crisis, she noted, is affecting the ability of humanitarian organisations to provide critical services, water, sanitation, hygiene and health.
“We thank the co-hosts of the ministerial event on 20 September in the margins of UN General Assembly High-Level Week on “The Cost of Inaction in Sudan,” Wosornu told the Security Council on Wednesday.
According to the UN official, lack of funding for humanitarian operations “will leave millions without the assistance that they need”, adding that only 26% of the $2.6 billion revised Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan is funded.
At least 20.3 million people across Sudan are acutely food insecure and need food and livelihood assistance between July and September 2023, according to the latest integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on the war-torn nation.
(ST)