September 25, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Britain has urged the international community to increase its support to Sudan to face the economic challenges pointing that it would be unreasonable to believe it has the means to do it alone.

In a statement to the Security Council on Friday, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN political affairs chief told Council said that the countries participating in Berlin donor meeting last June were generous in their support to Sudan’s transition but signalled that the impact of COVID-19 had reduced donor capacity.

In his remarks to the 15-member body, Jonathan Allen, the Deputy Head of British Mission to the UN, echoed calls by the UN secretary-general to support Sudan and repeated: "I ask member states to consider not whether we can afford to support Sudan, but whether we can afford not to?"

"Mr President, it is clear that the Sudanese people cannot face these challenges alone, and it would be unreasonable for any of us to believe that. So the international community must step up," he stressed.

Speaking about the support of his country he said that the UK has contributed over $100 million towards the family support program, which will help mitigate the negative impact of some of the necessary economic reforms in Sudan.

Also, Britain has donated an additional $76 million of humanitarian aid to UN agencies and NGOs to meet the most urgent needs of those affected by food insecurity, conflict and economic crisis in Sudan.

DiCarlo called on donors to release the funds they pledged to the Family Support Programme as soon as possible.

Further, she called on "international partners to address impediments that prevent Sudan’s full integration into the international economic community," she added alluding to Sudan’s removal from the terror list.

(ST)