UN launches $2.2 billion 2009 Sudan Work Plan, part of the largest predominately humanitarian appeal in the world - $1.05 billion is for Darfur

This news report makes one think about the number of lives and taxpayers' dollars, and unimagineable grief and suffering, that a handful of so-called "rebels" have cost Sudan, Chad and the rest of the world over the past 25 years.

The UN's fifth annual Work Plan for Sudan, valued this year at $2.2 billion, is part of a $7 billion appeal - the largest predominately humanitarian appeal in the world - $1.05 billion is for Darfur alone.

One wonders how many taxpayers' dollars are needed for the UN's 2009 Chad Work Plan, not to mention Northern Uganda and DR of Congo where, compared to Darfur, worse things are happening to a lot more people, especially women and children.

WORK PLAN FOR SUDAN IS LAUNCHED IN GENEVA 

Excerpt from (UN/MaximsNews) Press Briefing by Michele Montas, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, UN Headquarters, New York, Thursday, November 20, 2008:

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes in Geneva today participated in the launch of the 2009 Sudan Work Plan, which is part of this year’s seven billion dollar Consolidated Appeal launched yesterday.
 
The largest component of the 2009 Appeal, the Work Plan for Sudan is valued at $2.2 billion.

This fifth annual work plan remains the largest predominately humanitarian appeal in the world. 

Almost half of the funding, or $1.05 billion, is for Darfur, where approximately 4.5 million people continue to be in need of aid after six years of conflict. 
 
In Darfur, out of a population of more than six million, some 2.7 million people have been displaced, mostly into camps, and millions more require life-saving assistance in some form.
 
Elsewhere in the country also there is an urgent need for humanitarian support, not just to save lives but to shore up a peace process that remains fragile.
 
In some regions, more than half the people do not have access to clean water, and many less have proper sanitation.
 
In the east, malnutrition rates are over the emergency threshold, and in parts of Blue Nile diarrhea is still a leading cause of death.
 
In 2008, the United Nations and its partners managed to build and repair roads and schools; clear mines; vaccinate children; provide food, water and shelter to millions; and help thousands of Sudanese uprooted by conflict to return home  Continuing violence, however, did hamper programmes, and resources were stretching by rising international commodity prices.

Meanwhile, I'm hard pressed to find news of anyone expressing outrage that Sudanese rebels still roam around Sudan and Chad with truck-mounted rocket launchers, grenade launchers and machine guns while their leaders freely travel and direct their Darfur war from bases in Europe where they enjoy freedom, Western hospitality and luxurious lifestyles. See photos here below.
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Darfur SLM rebel group leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur



Photo: Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, Chairman of Darfur rebel group Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in self imposed exile in Paris, France.



Photo: Fat cat SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur is too much of a scaredy cat to live with his followers in Sudan. Coward.

See report from Paris, France Oct. 20 2008: SLM chief dismisses reports about meeting with Sudan’s First Vice-President in Chad.
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Darfur JEM rebel group leader Khalil Ibrahim



Photo: From the left Pagan Amum, Khalil Ibrahim, Yasir Arman and Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth are posing for a photo, somewhere in Darfur not far from Chad border Oct 30, 2008 (Photo E.L. Gatkuoth/ST)

See Sudan Tribune article from Washington Oct. 30 2008: SPLM and JEM agree to strengthen relations - SPLM’s Salva Kiir and JEM’s Khalil Ibrahim to meet very soon -official
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Rebel bases make the Sudan-Chad border a powder keg



The following series of photos and captions are from The New York Times report by Lydia Polgreen April 13, 2008 - Rebels’ Border War Prolongs Darfur’s Misery. Photos are by Lynsey Addario for The New York Times.



The rebels call it a base, but it is nothing more than a dry riverbed. At the border with Sudan, Chadian rebels are fighting a proxy war involving two of Africa's most divided nations. Habib Adam, 15, rode around with other rebels near their base camp on the border with Chad in West Darfur, Sudan.



The rebels paused and looked back as a trail of Arab militiamen, known as the janjaweed, passed by their camp last month, mounted on camels. The crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan has raged for the past five years and has also engulfed Chad. About 200,000 refugees have fled into the borderlands, chased by Arab militiamen and government attacks, setting off ethnic battles in Chad that echo those in Darfur.



Chadian rebels drove through West Darfur, Sudan, early last month. The rebels say they receive logistical support from Sudan because they share the same goal of removing Chad's president, Idriss Déby. In early February, this loose rebel coalition very nearly managed to dislodge Mr. Déby in an offensive that almost reached the palace gates.



The rebels' base boasts an impressive array of hardware, including truck-mounted rocket launchers, grenade launchers and machine guns.



A young rebel showed off for a photographer with a weapon. "In Darfur, arms are like sticks," said Ibrahim Hassan, one of the rebels. "They are everywhere. You just need to bend down and pick one up." Political analysts, diplomats and even the combatants acknowledge that both Sudan and Chad are supporting and arming rebellions on each other's soil, and the accusations issued by each capital have grown increasingly bellicose.



The Chadian rebels' camp in West Darfur. Close to a dozen Chadian rebel groups operate in this arid no man's land and each says it will use its rifles and rockets to bring freedom and development to Chad, an oil-rich nation that is nonetheless one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.



Two rebels stood by a multiple rocket launcher and rocket-propelled grenades at their camp. The rebel groups strung out along the border have been portrayed as pawns of Sudan. And fears that a pro-Sudanese government could seize power in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, have led much of the world to stick by Mr. Déby, despite the increasing repressiveness of his rule.
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UPDATE - posted 24 November 2008

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Date: 20 Nov 2008 - via ReliefWeb
Statement by John Holmes, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the occasion of the Sudan Work Plan launch

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Date: 20 Nov 2008 - via ReliefWeb
2009 UN and Partners Work Plan for Sudan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Secretary-General's address to the United Nations Association in Sudan

United Nations (New York)

DOCUMENT
5 September 2007
Posted to the web 5 September 2007

By Ban Ki-Moon
Khartoum

Khartoum, Sudan, 3 September 2007

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a very great pleasure to be with you today, here on my first trip to Khartoum as Secretary-General.

I am happy to have a chance to address the UN Association in Sudan. And I am pleased to see so many students at this gathering, as well as representatives of civil society. The fact that I am meeting with you this evening, having only just stepped off my flight from Europe, testifies to the importance that I attach to this visit, and to this particular audience -- you in this room.

Ultimately, it is you who will carry forward the work of building a lasting peace in Sudan. It is you who will need to work, hard, to bring unity and prosperity to your beautiful country.

I have a special attachment to this land, Sudan, both personally and officially. Officially, Sudan has recently been at the centre of the UN's agenda for restoring peace and security in the region.

Personally, this is the country where my daughter began her career as a young, junior officer with UNICEF.

For all these reasons, I urge you to think of the United Nations - and me, personally - as your friend, always by your side. I urge you to do everything you can to advance our common cause - building a better Sudan, and a better world, for yourselves and for future generations.

My friends,

Let me explain why I am here. For four long years – too many years – your country and fellow countrymen in Darfur have been torn by conflict. For too long the international community has stood by, as seemingly helpless witnesses to this tragedy.

That now is changing. As you all well know, in July the Security Council adopted a resolution authorizing the deployment of 26,000 multinational peacekeepers in Darfur, jointly run by the United Nations and the African Union. This unprecedented operation marks a new era in UN-AU cooperation. It is one of the largest and most complex peacekeeping missions the UN has ever undertaken. It reflects the international community's commitment to contribute to bringing peace to your country.

I should also say that this agreement comes after many months of very difficult diplomacy. Much of it was invisible, conducted across time zones and in quiet meetings in many capitals of the world. We all must seize this historic opportunity.

That is the first reason why I have come to Sudan. I want to see for myself the plight of those we seek to help, and the conditions under which our peacekeepers in Darfur will operate. But most of all, I want to see the foundations of a lasting peace laid down. My goal is to lock in the progress we have made so far. To build on it so that this terrible trauma may one day end.

Yet there must be a peace to keep. Peacekeeping must be accompanied by a political solution. That is the second reason I am here. It is so very important that we keep moving ahead with the Darfur political process. Everyone agrees there can be no military solution. We need a ceasefire now. The violence must stop. I want to see us begin a new and conclusive round of peace negotiations as soon as possible. My aim is to keep up the momentum, to push the peace among the parties with a view toward issuing invitations to a full-fledged peace conference as soon as possible.

During my visit, I will meet with President Omar al-Bashir and many other senior leaders. I look forward to a frank and constructive and fruitful discussions. The goodwill and cooperation of your Government has been instrumental in the progress we have made so far. I will also meet with First Vice-President Salva Kiir in southern Sudan, as well as opposition representatives.

At the same time, we also need to push ahead on a broader initiative, underscored by my visit to Juba. That's the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and the south. As you know well, this remains an essential -- and rather fragile -- cornerstone of peace across the whole of Sudan, well beyond Darfur.

The third reason for my visit involves humanitarian aid and development. Any real solution to Darfur's troubles involves something more – it requires sustained economic development and solutions that go to the root causes of the conflict. But we cannot effectively address development issues until there is a peaceful environment in Darfur and a political solution to the conflict.

Until then, the world's largest humanitarian operation, currently assisting more than 4.2 million people – must continue. I urge to you do your part to ensure an immediate end to violence and a rapid political solution.

Precisely what these development activities will entail is unclear. But we need to begin thinking about it, now. There must be money for new roads and communications, as well as health, education, sanitation and social reconstruction programmes. The international community needs to help organize these efforts, working with the Government of Sudan as well as the host of international aid agencies and NGOs working so heroically on the ground, in very difficult circumstances.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In your very kind invitation, you asked me to speak a bit about how I see the UN and its role in a changing world, particularly in this part of the world.

Let me say, here, something about who I am. I am not a philosopher. I have never put much stock in grand rhetoric – dreams of the future, “visions” that promise more than can be delivered. I am a realist, a man of action. I believe in results, not rhetoric.

As I look out at the coming year, and beyond, I see a growing number of extraordinary challenges. Darfur and the crisis in Sudan are among my very top priorities.

But there are many others. Iraq, where we are likely to be tasked with ever greater responsibilities. Climate change. Making development work in Africa, so that we can fully realize our Millennium Development Goals.

The list goes on, from Somalia and the Middle East, to new crises and opportunities that the world will bring our way. It think it is fair to say that the demands to be placed upon us have never been greater in our 62-year history, even as the resources available to us grow proportionally more scarce.

Where does Sudan stand in relation to the UN, and more broadly in the international community?

You are the largest country in Africa, rich in natural resources. But there is a need to create conditions enabling more development. Fighting has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Many more have become refugees and displaced persons, making Sudan among the world's trouble spots. This is regrettable, given the great potential of your country.

The UN has broad responsibilities, which can be thought of as three pillars. 1) Peace and security. 2) Economic and social development, as set forth in the UN Millennium Development Goals. 3) Human Rights.

The UN has a direct responsibility to advance in all three of these areas. As for the first, that's why I am in Sudan.

With respect to the second, much has been done in advancing our MDGs in Sudan. In southern Sudan, for example, the number of children enrolled in school grew from 343,000 in 2005 to more than 1 million in 2007. We have vaccinated cattle, distributed food and vitamin supplements to children, drilled hundreds of new water wells, and helped rebuild roads. Still, much more needs to be done if Sudan is to be on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

As for human rights, we have only to look around us to see how far Sudan has to go in upholding human rights and protecting people from suffering. Justice is an important part of building and sustaining peace. A culture of impunity and a legacy of past crimes that go unaddressed can only erode the peace.

Friends,

Let us now turn our thoughts to how we can work together, and how the UN can make a difference in your lives and help create a better future.

As I said earlier, I am not a man of dreams and high rhetoric. I believe in solutions that are real solutions. And I know that there can be no solutions to Sudan's political problems without sustainable economic development.

I've mentioned some of the ways we are already helping, and what more we can do -- from helping to provide better health care to promoting better agricultural techniques to encouraging small business development.

But when it comes to providing root solutions to the country's problems, it begins with a core issue facing so many people in Sudan and elsewhere in this region.

You all know that the conflict in Darfur began, long ago, in part because of drought. When the rains failed, farmers and herders fell into competition for an increasingly scarce resource. The decisions of man to wage war over these precious natural resources further compounded other factors and challenges.

But the fact remains. Lack of water, and a scarcity of resources in general, has contributed to a steady worsening of Sudan's troubles. As part of the solution, the Government with international assistance will have to ensure that the people of Darfur have access to vital natural resources – water being chief among them. The UN stands ready to assist in this effort.

I realize this all sounds very practical and down-to-earth. It is. If you were hoping for high-minded declarations of global principles, I may have disappointed you. But that is the point. As Secretary-General, I would like to look only for results. Tangible action, solutions you can see and touch, measurable progress. After all, who can eat or drink only words?

I have discussed this matter with our European partners, as well as the world's aid and financial institutions. I'm going to host an MDG Africa Steering Group meeting next week in New York. I promise you that I will pay as much attention to this as I have to matters of peace and security.

I am very happy to have been able to meet with you here. It has been a pleasure speaking with you. I look forward to seeing more of your beloved country. I count on your continued support.

Thank you very much for your strong commitment to the United Nations, and for your help in our work - present and future.

Shoukran jazeelan.

Copyright © 2007 United Nations. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).