How can Sudan address the critical environmental issues that threaten its prospects for long-term peace, food security and sustainable development? This report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) argues that the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources is part of the solution. This requires a deep understanding of environmental issues in the culture, policies, plans and programmes of the Government of Sudan and its international partners.
Following an end to two decades of civil war, Sudan is recovering thanks to its rapidly developing oil industry, which is making it one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. Direct investment and international aid are starting to flow into the country on a large scale, and some parts of Sudan are experiencing brisk development.
However, Sudan continues to face a number of key environmental issues which are closely linked to the country’s social and political challenges:
- The long history of violence in Sudan has had significant impacts on its environment and environmental issues continue to be contributing causes of conflict. Competition over oil and gas reserves, Nile waters and timber are important factors in the instigation and perpetuation of conflict in Sudan. Sudan also has the largest population of displaced persons in the world.
- Desertification and climate change, land degradation and deforestation, amongst others, pose serious problems for Sudan’s long-term prospects. Desertification, for example, threatens to reduce food production by 20 per cent and there is a very strong link between land degradation, desertification and conflict in Darfur.
- Sudan’s regulatory authorities have critical structural problems and are under resourced. In Southern Sudan, environmental governance is in its infancy, but the early signs are positive. High level political and cross-sector support is visible, and UNEP considers the new structures to be relatively well-suited to the task.
- While most aid projects in Sudan do not cause significant harm to the environment, a few clearly do, and the overall diffused impact of the aid programme is very significant.
Sustainable management of Sudan’s natural resources will help to address these problems. However, this will require a long-term process and a multi-year commitment from both the Government of Sudan and its international partners to deeply embed a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues. Specific recommendations are as follows:
- Invest in environmental management to support lasting peace in Darfur, and to avoid local conflict over natural resources elsewhere in Sudan.
- Build capacity at all levels of government and improve legislation to ensure that reconstruction and economic development do not intensify environmental pressures and threaten the livelihoods of present and future generations.
- National and regional government should assume increasing responsibility for investment in the environment and sustainable development.
- All UN relief and development projects in Sudan should integrate environmental considerations in order to improve the effectiveness of the UN country programme.
