UN: providing cash support to IDPs

Sudan Events – Rehab Abdullah

Dr. Jibriel Ibrahim Mohamed, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, met on Sunday with Clementine Nkweta-Salami, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Humanitarian and Development Affairs. The meeting touched on the challenges facing humanitarian efforts in light of the difficult humanitarian situation in Sudan and the large numbers of displaced people with the continuation of the armed conflict, which has led to difficulty reaching those affected in war zones, especially in Khartoum and Darfur, to provide the necessary humanitarian support and protect them against human rights violations, as the Sudanese citizens face severe shortage in food, water and basic services.
The meeting also addressed the challenges facing employees on the front lines in war zones, especially in the field of health and education, with regard to salaries and protection against killing and other violations.
The meeting discussed the possibility of providing large cash support for several months to the displaced and affected people instead of in-kind support through digital transfers and banking applications to expand options regarding purchasing basic needs. The challenges facing providing cash support through applications were also discussed, especially in remote areas where electricity and services are not available. The Internet, not even applications and phones, and alternative ways that enable the citizens of those areas to obtain the necessary cash.
For her part, the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Representative stressed the importance of building resilience for citizens and displaced people by providing basic services such as water, electricity, and agricultural production inputs in order to provide food through small farms and fight hunger, in addition to the necessity of providing e-education and the possibility of the private sector entering this field.
In conclusion, the meeting emphasized the importance of joint coordination and increasing efforts in the humanitarian and relief field and discussing ways to ensure access to affected citizens in areas of conflict, displacement and asylum, in addition to the importance of addressing the problems of medical personnel in those areas.
The Minister stressed his commitment to making all possible efforts on the part of the Ministry and the government to overcome all difficulties facing the humanitarian and development work carried out by the United Nations through its various agencies in Sudan.