Over €27 million to improve access to basic services for the people of Darfur
European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs announced today €27.5 million to support people's access to basic services (such as education and health), as well as water management and agriculture in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan. The funding was announced by the European Union during the International Donors Conference for Darfur, which is being held in Doha (7 - 8 April).
The conference is part of the agenda of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), an agreement signed in July 2011 between the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) to promote the peace process in Darfur.
Commissioner Piebalgs said: "The EU is firmly committed to bringing durable peace to the people of Darfur. However, we remain deeply concerned about the slow implementation of the DDPD, rising insecurity in parts of Darfur and restrictions on access for aid. We hope that all parties to the conflict will take this opportunity to choose political dialogue over armed confrontation." Commissioner Piebalgs added: “We call on the Sudanese government and all parties involved to sustain their efforts to improve the environment in which aid workers operate and fully implement the DDPD to enable a new momentum on development.”
For more information: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-304_en.htm
