Partnership for improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities (PROSPECTS) in Sudan

Sudan’s protracted political crisis and the challenges ahead

In December 2018, mass unrest forced the 30-year-old government of President Omar al-Bashir in Sudan to step down. A transitional government was put in place in 2019, which initiated socio-economic reforms leading to development and improving Sudan’s relationships with the international community. However, this progressive run was short-lived, and in October 2021, a military take-over destabilized the political situation once again.

Today, plagued by civil unrest and internal conflicts, Sudan’s political future remains uncertain, and the country continues to face a complex humanitarian crisis with around 9 million Sudanese households receiving assistance and a displaced population estimated at 3.03 million (UNHCR, 2022).

In response to this, the ILO, UNHCR, and UNICEF, spearheaded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, came together and have been leveraging their respective expertise under the PROSPECTS Partnership to help transform the way in which governments and other stakeholders, including the private sector, respond to forced displacement crises. Targeting to improve the lives of refugee, internally displaced, returnees, and host community populations in East Darfur and West Kordofan the Partnership contributes to three pillars:

Pillar 1: Quality Education and Training

Pillar 2: Employment and Livelihoods

Pillar 2: Protection and Inclusion

The interventions are targeting forcibly displaced and host communities from al Nimir camp, the nearby settlement of Assalaya in East Darfur, and El Meiram and Kharasana Settlements in West Kordofan.

In collaboration with the PROSPECTS Partners, the ILO is working to

• enhance the quality and availability of locally relevant skills training,
• strengthen links between small plot farmers and agricultural produce buyer networks,
• improve access to healthcare services and critical water resources and
• grow markets and develop the mechanism to expand social health protection for both hosts and forcibly displaced.