Despite ‘great’ needs in Sudan, agencies to do more with less: UN

Funding the humanitarian needs of Sudan has been decreasing at a worrying rate, the UN said, adding this may potentially affect the ability of agencies to save lives and reduce suffering in the country. “Humanitarian actors will have to do more with less”, it stated. In its latest report from 13 March, the UN Office of the Resident and Humanitarian coordinator in Sudan declared that “from 2011 to 2012, humanitarian funding for Sudan dropped by 9 per cent”. To do more with less, it continued, agencies are to focus on better targeting the most vulnerable individuals, increasing self-sufficiency and resilience among affected groups, and utilizing local capacities and resources to address humanitarian needs. “The prime responsibility for the people of Sudan lies with the Government of Sudan”, while the “humanitarian community works with the [government and local communities] to support them in addressing humanitarian needs”. These needs, as stated in the report, are: – 1.4 million people receive assistance in camps in Darfur; – Over three million children between four and 15 years old are not in full time education; – At 16.4%, the average child malnutrition rates for Sudan are above global emergency levels; – More than 10% of children in Sudan currently die before the age of five, many from water-borne or sanitation-related diseases such as diarrhea, malaria and typhoid;  – Some 20% of women do not have access to the basic maternal healthcare needed for safe childbirth. The UN office disclosed that the total funding for 2013 sought for humanitarian projects through the Humanitarian Work Plan (HWP) is close to one billion US dollars, and is to benefit some 4.3 million people.  Almost 60 percent of the HWP will be devoted to servicing humanitarian needs in Darfur, where over 3.5 million people will be assisted “after 10 years after the crisis began”.