The UN member states will today call for immediate steps to protect civilians, scale up humanitarian funding and access, and end the fighting in Sudan, a press release said.
The ministerial meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York will be co-hosted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency – alongside Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US, the African Union, and the European Union.
The parties are expected to outline the devastating human toll if the international community fails to take urgent and collective action to stem the humanitarian crisis and stop the fighting in Sudan.
The war, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is entering its 18 month and has occasioned a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The press release said Sudan is now the world’s largest hunger crisis, with over half of the country’s population – nearly 26 million people – facing high levels of acute hunger. Famine has been confirmed in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp, with many other areas at risk. Nearly 5 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished.
“Neighbouring countries,” the press release notes, “despite already grappling with chronic underfunding and large displaced populations before the Sudan conflict – have continued to welcome Sudanese refugees. More support is needed to help host governments provide essential protection and critical life-saving assistance to the new arrivals.”
According to the press release, the Sudanese healthcare and basic services have been decimated, cholera and other diseases were on the rise, and children were out of school for a second straight year.
“The emergency is one of the worst protection crises in recent history, with alarming levels of sexual and gender-based violence continuing to terrorize civilians, particularly women and girls.”
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan seeks US$2.7 billion to help 14.7 million people until the end of this year. It is currently less than half funded, at 49 per cent.
This year’s Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan requires $1.5 billion to support 3.3 million refugees, returnees and host communities in seven countries neighboring Sudan. It is currently just 25 per cent funded.