New York: The United Arab Emirates has signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to allocate US$5 million to support the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF).
The agreement was signed on behalf of the UAE by Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister for International Development Affairs, and on behalf of OCHA, Edem Wosornu, Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division, at a special ceremony in New York at the UAE Mission to the UN, and in the presence of Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Support to families
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths said: “We are deeply grateful to the Government and the people of the United Arab Emirates for your generous support of $70 million to help bring relief to the people of Sudan through the United Nations. With this allocation, we can bolster our life saving support to families and communities caught up in Sudan’s unprecedented humanitarian crisis.”
The UAE contribution to the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, managed by OCHA, will facilitate access to funds to address the most critical humanitarian needs and emergencies on the ground, in line with the annual Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
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Logn-term support
Nusseibeh said, “The UAE’s long-term support to Sudan is a testament to our dedication to fostering a prosperous Sudan and promoting stability in the region. We are pleased to partner with OCHA and other UN agencies to deliver vital aid to those most impacted.”
She added: “I reiterate the UAE’s unwavering position is to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and a peaceful solution to the crisis. There is no military solution to this war — the parties to the conflict must return to the negotiating table. To that end, the UAE will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders and support any process that aims to set Sudan on a political path to reach a lasting settlement and achieve a national consensus for forming a government where civilians participate and lead.”
Urgent humanitarian needs
The UAE contribution to OCHA is part of a broader commitment of $70 million dedicated to addressing urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan, through UN agencies and humanitarian organisations. This funding is a substantial portion of the $100 million pledge made by the UAE in April at the ‘International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighbouring Countries’. This contribution takes the total amount of UAE aid to Sudan in the past 10 years to more than $3.5 billion.
The UAE underscores that the priority is to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian facilities and to facilitate humanitarian assistance through multiple routes into the country and across conflict lines, provide humanitarian support, and ensure the delivery of aid to those in need, especially to the most vulnerable.
