Source: UNEP News Release 2006/36
Khartoum/Nairobi, 18 July 2006 – A detailed post-conflict assessment of Sudan is underway with the aim of pin pointing environmental issues and priorities during the country’s reconstruction phase.
The post-conflict involvement in Sudan by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) began in May 2004 as the focal point for the environment within the UN and World Bank Joint Needs Assessment process.
As a follow-up, UNEP was asked to conduct a further detailed assessment in order to identify environmental impacts, pressures, risks and priorities during the reconstruction process. To that effect UNEP embarked on the assessment in December 2005 and, as of July 2006, has conducted four field missions to each of the main geographic areas.
These findings will be presented in the UNEP report “Sudan – Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment” scheduled for release in October 2006, and can hence be incorporated into national policies, plans and laws for resource management in Sudan.
As part of the ongoing activities in Sudan, UNEP is a sponsor and co-host of the Sudan National Planning Environmental Management Workshop, organized in Khartoum 18 - 20 July 2006. The event is seen as an important event in support of the environment in Sudan, and other international co-hosts include the Nile Basin Initiative, the European Commission, and UNDP.
A primary aim of the workshop is to promote the exchange of ideas and raise awareness of current environmental issues throughout Sudan. The event is very timely, given the increasing recognition that respect for the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources are requisites for a sustainable peace.
Achim Steiner, UNEP’s Executive Director, said: “Environmental issues in Sudan such as desertification, land degradation and deforestation greatly contribute to the scarcity of vital resources such as water for drinking and irrigation, animal fodder and fuelwood. This scarcity can drive and exacerbate conflicts and population displacement, which may in turn then result in accelerated environmental degradation and human suffering”.
“In order to break out of this negative spiral, UNEP stands ready to assist the Sudanese authorities to mainstream environment at all levels of society. This country has endured years of turmoil and years of misery. A new chance for the people of Sudan will hinge on numerous factors, including strengthening the ability of the Sudanese authorities to sustainably manage their natural resources. The restoration and rehabilitation of Sudan’s economically important and productive land, forests, river systems, and other crucial ecosystems – upon which so many people and especially the poor depend—will play an important role in ensuring stability and a lasting peace,” he added.
UNEP is currently preparing a programme entitled Capacity Building for Environmental Governance in Sudan, which will cover the period 2007-2009.
Notes to Editors
UNEP post-conflict activities are coordinated by the Post-Conflict Branch (PCoB), based in Geneva. The branch works to investigate the environmental consequences of conflicts, and proposes solutions for environmental risk reduction, capacity building for environmental governance and sustainable reconstruction. The aim is to keep environmental priorities on the agenda throughout a post-conflict reconstruction period, to support longer-term goals for managing natural resources, to address environmental management practices and improve regional environmental cooperation.
Current post-conflict activities by UNEP are being conducted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territory.
For More Information Please Contact Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, on Tel: +254 20 7623084 or E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org
Or Elisabeth Waechter, Associate Media Officer, on Tel: +254 20 7623088, E-mail: Elisabeth.waechter@unep.org
UNEP News Release 2006/36
