 |
| |
| Fast Facts: |
| • Project
Document |
| Location: |
Khartoum |
| Duration: |
July
2003 - May 2008 |
| Focus
area: |
Democratic
Governance |
| Donors: |
The
World Bank, CIDA, UNDP |
| Total
Funds Available: |
US$
1,965,780 |
| Partners: |
Civil
Society Organizations |
| Delivery
for 2007:
|
US
$ 74,686.21 |
| Contact
person in UNDP: |
John
N. Akol, John.akol@undp.org |
|
Background
Sudan is endowed with rich resources,
such as vast areas of agricultural land,
extensive water resources and the River
Nile, a wealth of livestock of all kinds,
and mineral and other underground resources,
including oil and gold. With its growing
oil exports reaching production in the
region of some 500,000 barrels per day,
Sudan is already the sub-Saharan’s
third largest oil producer. The country
also has increasing public resources
to invest in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals.
In addition, the signing of the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA) and the formation
of the Government of National Unity
(GoNU), as well as the Government
of Southern Sudan (GoSS) strengthened
Sudan's cooperation with the international
community. Sudan applied to join the
World Trade Organization (WTO) in
October 1994. Its Accession is currently
in progress.
However, one of the country’s
main challenges is to sustain the
current economic growth, increase
broad-based employment generation
and reduce poverty. In fact, since
its independence, Sudan has adopted
several socio-economic policies and
since 1992 has implemented self-imposed
economic policies that do not concur
with the Bretton Woods institutions.
As a result, while some indicators
show an improvement of the growth
performance, others indicate that
the incidence of poverty has increased.
The Participatory Economic Policy
Reform project, jointly funded by
the World Bank (through the WB Post-conflict
Fund), the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA), and UNDP,
focuses on promoting intra-Sudanese
dialogue on the allocation and use
of public resources. The engagement
of the civil society in this debate
and its involvement in the elaboration
of a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP) is considered to be a critical
component of this programme.
Objectives
The overall objective of the project
is to improve the national capacity
to plan and monitor a comprehensive
approach to the reduction of human and
income poverty, in line with the Millennium
Development Goals and the UN Development
Assistance Framework (UNDAF).
To this end, the specific objectives
of the project are:
- To identify needed policy reforms
that would help manage an inclusive
poverty reduction and growth process.
- To guide, inform and refine the collective
contribution of participating actors
towards the elaboration of an equitable
and participatory PRSP that will lead
to pro-poor growth.
- To identify and establish linkages
between new and ongoing efforts dealing
with various manifestations of human
poverty, and to support the development
of appropriate synergies in favour of
peace.
- To initiate a process for revitalizing
the planning function within the government,
while promoting a participatory bottom-up
planning process.
Snapshots of the project's major achievements
• The project interacted with
and closely monitored the formulation
of a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
through regular meetings with the Poverty
Unit in the Ministry of Finance and
National Economy and other international
partners interested in financing the
paper;
• Organized two workshops to discuss
policies for poverty reduction in Sudan
and commissioned a report entitled “The
Macroeconomic Policies for Poverty Reduction:
the Case of Sudan". The report,
mainly funded by the World Bank’s
Post-conflict Fund, summarises the findings
of a comprehensive study consisting
of nine background papers, prepared
by a team of national and international
consultants, published in collaboration
with UNDP’s Beirut-based Sub-Regional
Resource Facility (SURF);
• Formed a donor support group
which enriched the discussion regarding
the development of the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper; and
• Trained fourteen government
officials in fiscal and tax policies
at Georgia State University, USA.
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