Background

Sudan, the largest country in Africa, is endowed with vast natural resources with enormous development potential. Between 1995 and 2004 the economic growth averaged 7%, double the sub-Saharan Africa average. However, in addition to the widespread human suffering, and the heavy financial cost, over two-decades of war have worsened the deep-seated structural and geographical disparities, limited the governance capacities and isolated the country, depriving it of development assistance.

The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) offered the opportunity for an important structural change in Sudan, with increased democratic governance, wealth sharing and decentralization, and greater social inclusion, ensuring a participatory recovery process and equitable distribution of benefits. It also brought about a renewed engagement between Sudan and the international community, leading to a substantial inflow of funds to be utilized strategically, efficiently and equitably to help lay the foundations for sustainable growth and recovery.

In January 2005, with the support of the European Commission, the Netherlands, and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), UNDP launched the Capacity Development for Aid Management and Co-ordination project involving all national and foreign aid partners. The project aims to foster a strong partnership among all partners by linking the government, UN agencies, and donor countries through aid alignment and reporting strategies. The project is based in the Ministry of International Cooperation. Other key partners include the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Relationships are also developed with several other Ministries through the establishment of focal points.

This project centrally supports the Ministry of International Cooperation (MIC) in its mandate to coordinate external assistance and to facilitate aid planning, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in line with the Joint Assessment Mission (JAM), Results Framework for Sudan and localized Millennium Development Goals. The Aid Management and Coordination Unit (AMCU) in MIC is supported through the project with technical assistance and resource provisions. The Unit reports directly to the Undersecretary, and is tasked with implementing aid management activities in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, to which Sudan became a signatory in 2006. To establish the effective reporting of aid flows, support has been provided to AMCU to establish and enhance the Sudan Information Aid Database (SAID) as well as links with key donors and stakeholders in Sudan.

Objectives
The main objective of the project is to lay the foundation of a Government-led and results-based aid management system that handles external humanitarian and development resources in a transparent and accountable manner, in line with agreed national priorities. In a broader sense, the project aims is to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) contributes effectively and efficiently to national reconstruction, poverty eradication and conflict prevention in the Sudan.

The specific objectives are as follows:
• To enhance the aid planning and management and
  co- ordination capacity of Sudanese authorities
• To build the government-donor aid information and   communication system.
• To integrate aid planning and decision making processes      within a sound resource management system.
The project supports the existing initiatives of UNDP and Multi Donor Trust Funds (MDTF) aiming at developing pro-poor strategic planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation capacities in public administration at all levels.

Snapshots of the project's major achievements
• Aid Management and Coordination Unit was established in the Ministry of International Cooperation and fully equipped;
• A network of aid management and coordination focal points was established. The network includes 23 line and technical ministries
• An assessment of the ministries’ needs was completed;
• Aid Management units were established in each of ,Qadarif, Kassala and North Kordofan, States;
• Paris Declaration Survey document prepared, reviewed and submitted to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development;
• IT network and related infrastructure with internet access installed within the Ministry of International Cooperation;
• Sudan Aid Information Database developed and populated with data covering the period 2005-2008;
• 80 government officials from MIC and line ministries are being trained in basic skills such as English language and computer literacy as well in aid management;