Sudan's diverse natural resources can help support economic growth and development and can also be valuable assets in helping to rebuild the Darfur region and other parts of the country that have suffered years of conflict.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been providing environmental support to Sudan since the 1990s. Since completing a major post-conflict environmental assessment of Sudan in 2007, UNEP has established an active country presence and developed an integrated environment programme for Sudan.
UNEP is working with federal and state government, the international community, civil society, academia, the private sector, communities, and youth groups to encourage the sustainable development of the country’s natural resources with the aim of assisting the people of Sudan to achieve peace, recovery, and development in an environmentally sustainable manner. More specifically, UNEP is engaged in the following areas:
- Climate Change and Adaptation
- Gender and the Environment
- Environmental Governance
- Environmental Mainstreaming
- Integrated Water Resources Management
- Natural Resource Management
- Environment in Review
Adapting to an Encroaching Desert in North Darfur
As climate change drives desertification in much of the Sahel and zones on other continents, one strategy for the national authorities and the international community is to help local communities build more resilience at the ground level. With support from the European Union and the United Nations, a combination of two things – structures and systems – are now making it possible for the citizens of North Darfur’s Wadi El Ku basin to sustain their livelihoods. And, within the limitations of these tough semi-desert conditions, even to prosper.
UNEP and the state government of North Darfur are implementing the second phase of the Wadi El Ku Catchment Management project. This project aims to expand and promote scientific and technical information for improved Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and inclusive natural resource management and early warning systems. It will also demonstrate and promote improved agricultural and natural resource management approaches and cooperation mechanisms. The second phase of 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.
Spotlight: How water is helping to end 'the first climate change war'
Promoting sustainable peace 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 and engender the peace process in Al Kurmuk, Baw and Geissan localities by enhancing climate-resilient livelihoods options for women, youth and other marginalized groups, improving the local governance of natural resources by ensuring the full and equal representation of women, and strengthening the local conflict resolution mechanisms that underpin the development prospects of all groups. Building on the lessons learned from a pilot project Jointly implemented by UNEP, UNDP and UNWOMEN in North Kordofan. The project will promote climate and livelihoods security through women’s empowerment.
The project is funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and implemented by UNEP, UNDP, and UN Women, in partnership with the Federal and State Government, National NGOs, and local communities.
Promoting Successful Environmental Practices in Sudan
The United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was supporting an initiative called “Adapt for Environment and Climate Resilience in Sudan” (or simply “ADAPT!”). The initiative aimed to promote evidence-based policy and decision-making and scale up successful environmental practices in development and humanitarian programming. ADAPT! wanted to effect positive change by supporting policy and institutional reform in natural resources management and helping Sudan formulate project proposals to mobilize resources.
Through this initiative, UNEP published the First State of Environment and Outlook Report 2020 which includes the latest facts and data on the state and trend of the environment in Sudan. The report will support the Government of Sudan and other policymakers to make more informed, data-driven decisions to sustainably manage the country’s precious natural resources.
ADAPT! was funded by the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by UNEP in partnership with the Government of Sudan.
Sudan First State of Environment and Outlook Report 2020
The Sudan State of the Environment and Outlook Report 2020 is the first of its kind to comprehensively take stock of the condition of the country’s environment and the trends affecting it. The report follows an earlier issue-based environmental report, the Sudan Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment, which compiled field studies on the environmental impacts of the conflict in Sudan that ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
This State of the Environment and Outlook Report assesses the biophysical, social and economic conditions in the country and presents them in an integrated way, ultimately pointing to pathways that will lead the country towards a future based on sustainable development.
Related Publications:
- Supporting Sustainable Peace in Blue Nile State through Gender-Responsive Natural Resource Governance, Inclusive Conflict Resolution Mechanisms and Climate-Resilient Livelihoods (English)(2022)
- Sudan First State of Environment and Outlook Report (2020)
- Sudan Integrated Environmental Programme (English)
- Sudan Integrated Environmental Programme (Arabic)
- Wadi El Ku Catchment Management Project (English)
- Mainstreaming the Environment in Humanitarian Programming in Sudan (2020)
- How Water is Helping to End 'the First Climate Change War' (2019)
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