International Donors Conference for Darfur
23 April, 2013Khartoum, (Sudanow)-The International Donors Conference (IDC) for rehabilitation of Darfur region that was held in the Qatari capital Doha has succeeded in dispelling doubts and fears by the donors towards their pledges which are to be guaranteed by a coordination and financing mechanism to be known as the financing and governing mechanism for implementation the strategy of development in the region.
This mechanism is to be transparent and liable to accountability, in a complex environment and efficiency, in accordance with what has been stated in the closing communiqué. Moreover, the conference has succeeded in endorsement by the participants of the Darfur development strategy as a basic gateway to the development.
The Financing Mechanism for management of the funds offered by the donors consists of Qatar, as a president, the Sudan, the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) and representatives of the donor countries and development partners. Its mission is to administer the financial pledges on the ground in Darfur for a period of six years, an arrangement which was welcomed by the Government of Sudan as declared by First Vice President Ali Osman Taha in the speech he delivered at the opening session of the conference.
The stage for the success of the conference was set on the eve of the gathering when the Sudan signed on April 6 a peace agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). During the signing ceremony, First Vice President Taha conveyed a congratulatory message by President Omar Al-Bashir in which the latter reaffirmed that the door to peace is open before all Sudanese nationals who are willing for participation in the efforts for development and modernization.
The First Vice President pointed out at the conference that the Sudan has paid the 200 million dollars it has pledged in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD). Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for the Cabinet Affairs in Qatar, underlined that the Mechanism is distinguished by flexibility and responsibility and respects all choices by the donors, whether on a bilateral basis with the government or a multilateral basis through the United Nations or UN agencies or through funds.
Mahmud said that the conference was remarkably successful and that the available funds would be adequate for the next four years. The Qatari official appeared optimistic with the situation in Darfur.
ُExperts and politicians: the approval of the Mechanism dispelled the fears. Experts and politicians have commended the approval of this Mechanism which serves as a guarantor to implementation of the projects and non-spending of the funds in unspecified aspects.
Dr. Mohamed al-Nayr, a distinguished economist, has stressed in a statement to sudanow.info.sd that the conference was "a significant success." He predicted that the rate of implementation would be high and fulfillment of the pledges would be satisfactory.
The economist noted that the approval of the Mechanism was welcomed unanimously and the doubts and fears of the donors were completely removed, particularly after it was welcomed by the State’s highest level as reflected in the opening speech of the First Vice President.
This attitude was affirmed by declaring that a conference would be convened in two years’ time to follow up implementation of the pledges. The welcome by the First Vice President was of an immense impact as it has boosted confidence that the development process would continue in a high gear throughout the six years of the strategy.
Journalist writer and Darfurian activist, Abdullah Adam Khatir, said the conference was a great success as a result of the proper preparation by the Government of Qatar, the wide participation by 40 countries and 100 organizations in the presence of the Sudanese Government and its listening to the criticism of the way in which it is administering the peace process, in addition to the DRA which has served as an intermediary between the Government and donors.
Khatir remarked that "the success of the conference was reflected in approval of the financial, administrative and technical mechanisms for implementation of the strategy'' stressing that the security problems would not halt the process of development.
DRA: a Mechanism is flexible: DRA President Dr. Tigani Sese said the basic reason for the Darfur development strategy to find the political support was because they have presented the donors with a flexible mechanism and a flexible model for management of the funds.
Each state is fully free to choose the Darfur rehabilitation project mechanism, said Dr. Sese, indicating that there are three channels for follow-up which he said are: the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the United Nations.
He indicated that the other alternative that was welcomed by donors was the direct management of the funds. The DRA commended all funds, organizations and donors for their efforts towards Darfur.
The conference reaffirmed commitment by the Government of Sudan to providing all legal, procedural, security and logistical facilities to allow freedom of movement to the non-governmental development partners as well as national and international organizations for implementation and follow-up of the projects of Darfur development strategy.
Sese remarked that the conference was met with unprecedented political support as well as an unexpected financial backing. He said he would lead an extensive campaign for reconciliation and justice so that everyone would get his right through the special and general courts and the native administration councils.
UNDP: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Khartoum described the conference as the first step for implementation of the Darfur development strategy and as the main stimulant of the hope of the people of Darfur for living in peace and stability.
The Conference: The Darfur Development Strategy is the main gateway to development: Ambassador Salah Halimah, The Arab League envoy to Sudan, in an interview with him in the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, Qatar, during the meeting of the Mechanism, said the formation of the financing Mechanism was something inevitable and important for transparency and accountability which must be declared in order to encourage the nations, organizations, funds and financing institutions for positive and effective participation.
"What makes one optimistic is that the donors will offer their support to specific and studied projects which are designed to help in resettlement of the IDPs, restoration of security and raising productivity, as indicated by Dr. Sese of DRA." Ambassador Halima, noted.
The plan for the strategy of development of Darfur is plain and it is left to the donor countries to conclude contracts with the companies which will execute the projects, he said.
The participants approved and agreed upon the following: (a) Approval of the strategy, (b) Agreement on the coordination and financing mechanism, (c) Emphasizing the financial commitments for the civil society for implementation of the strategy and (d) raising funds from the international community for implementation of the strategy.
The conference has approved the Darfur Development Strategy that was prepared by the Darfur Joint Assessment Mission (DJAM) in accordance with Article 32 of the DDPD as a major document for determining the priorities and implementation of the processes of reactivation, rehabilitation and development of Darfur region.
This strategy was considered by the participants as a basic prelude to a gradual transformation from the humanitarian aid to the development. Sese regarded adoption by the participant countries and organizations as the beginning of the stage of reactivation, rehabilitation and development of Darfur during the six years of the strategy.
He also indicated approval of a technical follow-up committee with a mandate of one year to be chaired by the State of Qatar with the membership of the Government of Sudan, DRA, UNCT, UNAMID and representatives of the donors and development partners. The committee is to invigorate quick implementation of the Darfur Development Strategy, particularly with regards to the founding and short-term projects.
The DRA President said the conference called for taking arrangements for holding a conference for investment in Darfur and a conference for follow-up of the pledges and called for completing the financing processes in two years’ time from the date it us convened. He added that the conferees underlined the need for implementation of the DDPD provisions, particularly those related to the development.
The conference lauded the effective participation by the development partners, stakeholders and members of the civil society in Darfur in preparation of the Darfur Development Strategy (DDS), said Sese. A summary of the DDS:- The DDS was prepared by the joint committee for determination of the needs of Darfur under a supervisory committee chaired by DRA President Tigani Sese.
It consists of three mainstays: 1) Government, justice and reconciliation, (2) rehabilitation and (3) economic recovery. The DDS contains 10 axes and working groups which are the basic social services, government and accountability, rule of law, peace and security, voluntary return, reintegration and planning, budgetary guidelines and monetary management, infrastructure development, agriculture, animal wealth, means of rural living, development of the private sector and management of the natural resources.
The duration of the DDS is six years starting from the first months of its approval; it is comprehensive and fair, participatory and operates in the framework of wide scale collective solutions, rather than individual ones. It is a different strategy which will be implemented by different mechanisms and methods. Its ingredients will be implemented simultaneously to ensure the required balance.
The implementation of the DDS requires an initial 177 US$. It was prepared in a wide-scale consultation to ensure fair and sustainable development based on wide participation for transforming Darfur from the state of conflict and poverty to vistas of stability and prosperity.
Pledges and Commitments: The pledges reached US$3,696,659,100, including the Sudanese Government pledges in the DDPD. The conference reaffirmed allocation of US$88.5 million in support of implementation of the founding and short-term projects indicated in the DDS.
This contribution represents 50% of the total US$177.4 million budget of the projects. The Conference stressed the need for collecting the financing required for implementation of strategy for medium- and long-terms totaling US$1,046,659,100, including the grants, bank credits and technical assistance.
It also provided for renewal by the Sudanese Government of its commitment to paying US$2.065 billion as mentioned in the DDPD. The European Union offered US$27,500,000 in support of development in Darfur, while Germany declared a pledge of 60 million euro.
The Minister of State for Finance, Majdy Hussein Yassin, reaffirmed the Sudanese Government full commitment to implementation of its part of the DDPD. He said that US$2 billion would be earmarked to the Darfur Development and Rehabilitation Fund, US$100 million to the micro-finance programmes and US$225 million to be paid to the states of Darfur over three years, in addition to other funds to cover the programme of voluntary return, education and compensations.
The conference underlined the need for continuing support to the DDPD which has enjoyed extensive regional and international support.
Diplomatic success for Qatar:-
Participants in the conference included tens of major international organizations, including the UN, the African Union, the Islamic Cooperation and the World Bank, in addition to the Arab states, China, the United States, Britain, France, India, Brazil, Sweden and Norway, counting for more than 400 participants representing the countries and international and regional organizations.
This constituted a tremendous pushing force, not only for the conference and its recommendations but also for asset and efficiency of the diplomacy of the State of Qatar and its capacity for regional and international coordination with the Sudan.
Following the success of the donors' conference, with the wide participation by the international community, it is important to start immediately with implementation of the projects of development return of the IDPs and refugees affected by the war and their resettlement in their homes.
End
Photo of the Week
Dinder – SUNA – SUDANOW As part of international cooperation programs in wildlife conservation and the implementation of international conventions governing wildlife protection in Sudan, the Federal Dinder National Park authorities received a Nile crocodile on the banks of the Dinder River this morning. The crocodile was transported from Jordan to Sudan as part of jo...
More-
30 August, 2026
Stories from the Heart of the Battlefield From a University of Khartoum Professor to a Vegetable Seller in Cairo
Cairo (Sudanow) In one of Cairo’s neighborhoods, where the stories of passersby intersect with the details of everyday life, the story began with a quiet-faced Sudanese man standing behind a small vegetable stall. He carefully arranged tomatoes and greens, selling them with a smile. Few of those passing by knew that the man they addressed so simply had spent years of his life in lecture halls and scientific research labor...
Contact Us
Address: Sudan News Agency (SUNA) Building, Jamhoria Street, Khartoum - Sudan
Mobile:+249 909220011 / +249 912307547