Sudan Consortium Statement from INGOs, SNGOs 20th March 2006

The NGO community working in Sudan have a deep local community presence and understanding and for INGOs an international mandate to support development in Sudan through solidarity.

NGOs with donor support have shown flexibility, agility and adaptability in recognizing and actively seeking to work with the GNU and the GoSS in the implementation of the CPA. We have expanded service delivery; moved from a modus operandi of relief to recovery; assisted in the establishment of local government, supported the development of a civil society; and undertaken efforts to build grassroots peace. At the same time we have continued to establish organizational headquarters and field offices throughout Sudan represnting our decades long commitment to working with the people of Sudan. We are playing our role and doing what we can to support the CPA as fully recognized partners in this historical process.

We note with frustration that this is the 2nd Sudan Consortium meeting we have attended and that the comments we made at the first Consortium in 2006 and at Oslo in 2005 have not been taken on board.

In Oslo we said that the political, social and economic situation was not conducive to the transformation of the country into a democratic society. There is still an urgent need for legislation and legal reform to transform Sudan into a democratic state which respects the diversity of the society. Rights continue to be abused and denied, power abused, and the majority marginalized from decisions. The reform process is stalled and the role of civil society to fully participate continues to be thwarted.

Our first recommendation is that Oslo and Paris recommendations need to be revisited and the concerns addressed.

We are thankful for having entered the 3rd year of the CPA without a return to the violent north-south civil war though conscious of the terrible situation still existing in Darfur. We also have greater access to communities in Southern Sudan and are pleased to see people exercising their right to return home (or not) as they choose. We are also heartened by the cooperative environment for NGOs in Southern Sudan and particularly the positive way that the GOSS has engaged with the NGO community to develop a legal framework for our operations, although this remains to be translated into law. We remain extremely concerned on the constraints placed on NGOs in the north through prohibitive legislation and severe bureaucratic impediments to their work, including but not limited to agencies operating in Darfur.

We are aware that the legacy of the war remains and are conscious of the deep fragmentation, polarization and trauma that still plagues Sudan and saddened by the numbers who still suffer because of the previous destruction of livelihoods, relationships and infrastructure.

We wish to remind the leaders in the Sudan - especially the President and the First Vice President – of their commitment to bring in a new dispensation in Sudan made on the day the CPA was signed and to contrast it with the slow implementation of the CPA. In particular the continued militia presence in Southern Sudan, stalemate with regard to the Abyei Border Commission recommendations, and a lack of transparency relating to oil wealth sharing and disagreements on the National Petroleum Commission.

We are also concerned that the peace talks with the LRA have stalled despite the best efforts of the GoSS which are commendable and we hope that a way is found to resolve this pernicious conflict as soon as possible.

Perhaps the greatest concern that after two years the CPA is yet to impact significantly on the lives of ordinary citizens - basic services, infrastructure, economic and employment opportunities, and the rule of law have not been adequately extended where they are needed. At the same time reports of corruption in government have not been seen to be rigorously investigated.

The slow provision of MDTF funds, and other funding mechanisms such as the CHF, exacerbates the challenges outlined because NGOs simply do not have access to the resources required to provide the services communities expect their Government to provide now that we are at peace in parts of Sudan.

In addition to concerns over the CPA the situation in Darfur as the World Bank says in its staff assessment progress report: “has undoubtedly created a sense of crisis, not only from a humanitarian perspective, but more generally casting a cloud over the country as a whole” In Darfur, civilians continue to be targeted and to suffer severely due to the continuing conflict. The protection of civilians, the end of targeting of humanitarian staff, assets and operations, free unimpeded access for humanitarian operations (including lifting of bureaucratic impediments) and a comprehensive ceasefire are the immediate priorities. We are disappointed that the pre-meeting on Darfur was cancelled because we saw this as an opportunity for the Government to reaffirm their commitment to facilitating humanitarian operations in Darfur and setting up an effective monitoring system to ensure that commitments made are implemented.

There is a need for a comprehensive approach to peace, humanitarian assistance and development across all of Sudan. We regret that problems identified have not been addressed through previous Consortium meetings, and followed up with sustained, coordinated engagement. The time has come to let go of the pretence that post conflict recovery is on track, and to recognise that international support needs to be reinvigorated, but that there can only be success if CPA implementation is followed through consistently by all partners with international oversight.