“We are also here to highlight the importance of the international community investing in these vital efforts through concrete action and delivery of pledges,” he added.
In the last two years, sincetheformer president was overthrown by the Sudanese army aftermonths ofpopular protestsand demonstrations against his rule, the countryhas beengoing through a transitionprocess.
Mr. Guterres recalledthat,in late 2019,world leaders gathered to celebrate the adoption ofthe country’s“historic”Constitutional Document and to express solidarityforthe newTransitional Government, led by Prime MinisterHamdok.
Since then, Sudan has reached important milestones.
Despite some challenges, the Secretary-Generalassuredthat democratic governance andpeacemakingefforts have advanced.
For Mr. Guterres, the Juba Peace Agreement , signed almost a year ago, “paves the way for ending Sudan’s long-standing and devastating conflicts.” He said that “important work is underway to implement the Agreement and to reach a deal with non-signatory armed movements.”
Sudan has also undertaken ambitious economic reforms, culminating in theDecision Point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countriesinitiative.
The Secretary-General believes “this will allow a measure of relief from Sudan’s unsustainable debt burden and free up much-needed resources from the International Financial Institutions.”
For Mr. Guterres, the international community“must do everything possible to help advance these and other efforts.”
Last June, the UN Security Council mandatedtheIntegrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan( UNITAMS ), to provide support for the transition.
Looking ahead,hesaidthatinstitutions such as the Transitional Legislative Council,will be crucial. The drafting of a constitutiontowards fullelections,should yield “significant opportunities for further progress”, he added.
He also argued that women’s inclusion and meaningful participation“will benefit the future of all Sudanese.”
Sudan continues to confront complex security challengeshowever, and theSecretary-Generalcondemned, once again , the attempted coup of21 September,which failed,saying it “is a reminder of persistent threats.”
“It underscores the importance of undertaking all efforts to protect civilians, strengthen human rights, and provide safety and security for all,” he added.
On the humanitarian front,henotedimproved access in some areas,butsaidmore than 13 million peoplestillneed assistance.
Lastly, in an appealtothe international community, he said that thetransitional Government and its partnerscan“help realize the vision of millions of Sudanese men and women,and most especially Sudanese youth,who risked their lives for democracy and peace.”
“We have an obligation to support these efforts,” heconcluded.
The Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok,also spoke at the event, highlighting several difficulties, including the economy andpublicdebt.
“Today, we collect less than 6 per cent of the GDP in taxes. You will agree with me, you cannot run a decent government with that level of taxation,” he explained, adding that the country also owesmore than$60 billion.
Stressing the importance of being “inclusive of everybody”, he pointed to “the challenges of laying out the foundation of the transition to democracy, which requires holding the Constitutional Conference and organizing the elections.”
“We need to work on managingour people’s expectations. The Sudanese people have, and rightly so, very high expectations about the transition, about the change. But this is the legacy of 30 years, you can’t undo it overnight,” he concluded.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.