UN Earmarks $21m for Humanitarian Assistance in Sudan

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The United Nations, through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) – a multi-donor fund that responds to critical humanitarian needs in Sudan – has allocated $21 million to help thousands of people in need of humanitarian assistance across Sudan in 2017.

The humanitarian challenges in Sudan are diverse and complex, including in Darfur where over 3 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. The SHF focuses on providing emergency assistance to internally displaced persons, refugees, and also those returning home after a long period of displacement.

Funds to the SHF for this allocation have been donated by the governments of Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

“The Sudan Humanitarian Fund will continue to support the frontline responders in Sudan, the organisations working to provide relief every day, especially to the most vulnerable, such as women and children,” said Ms. Marta Ruedas, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.

The SHF draws on alternative approaches to humanitarian assistance.

For example, the SHF funds projects that provide cash to vulnerable people who have been displaced for long periods of time, instead of in-kind aid, thus allowing individuals to procure what they need themselves.

The needs of people returning to their homes following displacement are also prioritised by the SHF. By focusing on protracted displacement and returnees, the fund aims to strengthen the link between humanitarian response and long-term development and peacebuilding initiatives. Over $5 million of this $21 million also represents multi-year contributions, which will facilitate multi-year planning.

The SHF plays a vital role in ensuring an effective, coordinated, prioritised and principled humanitarian response in Sudan.

Since 2006, the SHF has received and granted over $1 billion to international and national NGOs, and UN agencies, funds and programmes, enabling these entities to provide relief to people in need. In 2016, the SHF allocated $38.8, which represented about 8 per cent of the overall funding available to humanitarian partners.