Geneva: Sudan’s delegation, headed by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, Howaida Ali Awad Al-Karim, in its statement to the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, commended the efforts of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and welcomed its annual report. The delegation affirmed the importance of strengthening international cooperation founded on justice and equality, in a manner that enables developing countries, including Sudan, to advance their developmental priorities.
According to Sudan News Agency, the Sudanese delegation noted that the country has accorded considerable attention to the right to development by embodying the general principles of human rights and by adopting appropriate national policies aimed at the continuous improvement of this right.
It explained that the State approved the Social Protection Strategy in January 2023, which is based on the principles of social justice and sustainable development, giving priority to conflict-affected areas and expanding employment opportunities for youth.
The statement pointed out that the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia has played a central role in aggravating the humanitarian crisis through practices of gender-based violence, child recruitment, plundering, and destruction, which have disrupted basic services and increased the suffering of the population, especially women and children.
The statement further affirmed that what was highlighted in the report-that armed conflicts undermine the right to development-fully applies to the reality in Sudan today. It called on the international community to strengthen development cooperation through funding for reconstruction and debt relief, supporting climate justice via green financing, engaging women and youth in development plans, and lifting unilateral coercive measures that hinder the Sudanese people’s right to development.