In Sudan, poor environmental management is recognised as a factor of poverty and conflict. This is particularly true of rural areas, where communities depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is helping Sudan achieve its environmental and sustainable development goals by supporting the country’s development of policies and frameworks. By ensuring that Sudan’s environmental policies are coherent with its goals and by strengthening the country’s environmental institutions, UNEP is contributing to positive, long-term change in Sudan’s environmental governance.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supports the integration of environmental issues into the policies of federal and state authorities in the Republic of Sudan, the UN family, and civil society. The current programme builds on the policy recommendations made in UNEP’s 2007 Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment of Sudan and the community consultations that followed the publication of the report.
Through the Adapt for Environmental and Climate Resilience Project (ADAPT!), funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UNEP supported better environmental governance, including:
- The development of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper by providing support for consultations and an environment background paper.
- The development of synergies between different organisations and projects through the establishment of a natural resource management network.
- National engagement and participation to global platforms such as Conference of the Parties and other events to ensure that the climate needs of Sudan are understood and integrated in global planning.
The work on policy was linked with the ADAPT! projects themes, in particular: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Natural Resource Management (NRM), Climate Change Adaptation, and Environmental Mainstreaming. UNEP also provided support for the collation of environmental and climate change data and information that is critical to crafting effective policy solutions.
Between 2015 and 2019, UNEP worked in East Darfur to strengthen the capacities of institutions and communities, and to develop natural resource policy frameworks through the Natural Resources Management for Sustainable Livelihoods Project. The project notably led to the creation of the State’s Council for Coordination and Management of Natural Resources Policies, the first of its kind in Sudan. The project was funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNEP, UNOPS and a consortium of NGOs.
Since 2013, UNEP has been implementing the Wadi El Ku Catchment Management Project in North Darfur. In order to sustainably manage the catchment and its water resources, UNEP established a community-led Integrated Water Management Forum. Its community-based approach to environmental governance and natural resource management has won it political endorsement and praises, some of which were featured in an article by The Guardian. Now in its second phase, the project will continue to serve as a demonstration project for uptake and replication in the wider Wadi El Ku, as well as in Darfur and Sudan in the future. It will also contribute to the overall objective of establishing climate-resilient livelihoods and reducing natural resource conflicts and displacement due to the loss of livelihoods in North Darfur. The Wadi El Ku Catchment Management project is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNEP in partnership with Federal and State Government, locally-based civil society organisations led by Practical Action, and local communities.
Gender-Responsive Natural Resource Governance in Blue Nile Region
In the region of Blue Nile, UNEP is working jointly with UN Women and UNDP on a 30-months (2022-2024) project titled Supporting Sustainable Peace in Blue Nile Region through Gender−Responsive Natural Resource Governance, Inclusive Conflict Resolution Mechanisms and Climate−Resilient Livelihoods.
The project aims to support inclusive, climate−resilient, and sustainable livelihoods that will help establish trust within and between groups and lay the groundwork for building strong local−level governance and conflict resolution mechanisms to manage the needs of different livelihood groups and address grievances through dialogue. The project will particularly focus on building women’s leadership for local−level planning, governance and conflict prevention around natural resources, leveraging their community roles in natural resource management. This component will include two sets of activities. The first will center on supporting inclusive governance processes to enable natural resource planning and governance, as well as dialogue and mediation processes. This will include supporting women to lead a Climate and Environmental Action Planning (CEAP) process in each of the selected communities and strengthening women’s roles in relevant natural resource conflict resolution committees or mechanisms. In all project locations, these activities will work directly with existing governance structures and mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability. The second set of activities will focus on linking local efforts to the peacebuilding process in Blue Nile state and engaging with communities who have supported both SPLM−N factions, that of both Malik Agar and Abelaziz al−Hilu to ensure that this programme is conflict−sensitive. Activities will include establishing peacebuilding centres at the local level that enable the full and meaningful participation of women and supporting women-led dialogue forums with state-level peacebuilding institutions.
Related Publications:
- Sudan Integrated Environmental Programme
- Wadi El Ku Catchment Management Project
- Adapt for Environmental and Climate Resilience Project (ADAPT!) (2020)
