The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a significant agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and prevent the imminent risk of famine. The FAO received $5 million from the UAE’s allocations. Additionally, the UAE signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to allocate $5 million to support the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF).
The total contributions from the UAE to Sudan over the past ten years exceed $3.5 billion. The agreement with FAO was signed at the UAE’s Mission to the United Nations in New York by Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organizations, and Guo Qingchun, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York, in the presence of Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The FAO received $5 million from the UAE, which will be directed towards the project “Mitigating Famine in Sudan and Supporting Small Agricultural Projects and Pastoral Families Affected by Conflict.” This one-year project aims to provide emergency assistance in crops, livestock, and veterinary services to about 275,000 vulnerable small farmers and pastoral families, benefiting approximately 1,375,000 people.
The support will provide emergency livelihoods for 155,000 small and vulnerable farming families, nearly 775,000 people. Lana Nusseibeh emphasized, “We must do everything we can to prevent famine in Sudan, and this is what these allocations aim to achieve.” She explained that providing emergency agricultural support, benefiting approximately 1,375,000 people, can mitigate these risks and enhance the resilience of vulnerable agricultural and pastoral communities. Women and girls face disproportionate impacts due to the conflict, which is why the UAE focuses these initiatives on female-headed households. This initiative addresses immediate needs in Sudan and contributes to sustainable development and long-term stability.
FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, Abdul Hakim Elwaer, said, “We highly appreciate the UAE’s generous contribution, which will significantly enhance our efforts to improve food security and access to food in Sudan.” He added, “This support is crucial for achieving the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan of the FAO, which aims to deliver assistance to 1.8 million households and ensure livelihoods for 9 million people in Sudan.”
The UAE also signed an agreement with OCHA to allocate $5 million to the Sudan Humanitarian Fund. The agreement was signed by Sultan Al Shamsi and Edem Wosornu, Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division at OCHA, in the presence of Lana Nusseibeh.
Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, expressed gratitude, saying, “We are deeply grateful to the Government and people of the UAE for their generous support of $70 million to help relieve the people of Sudan through the United Nations. This allocation will enhance our life-saving support for families and communities trapped by the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Sudan.” He added, “The UAE’s contribution to the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, managed by OCHA, will facilitate access to funds to meet the most critical and emergency humanitarian needs, in line with the annual Humanitarian Response Plan.”
Lana Nusseibeh reiterated, “The UAE’s long-term support for Sudan affirms its commitment to enhancing Sudan’s prosperity and regional stability. We are pleased to partner with OCHA and other UN agencies to provide vital assistance to those in greatest need.”
She emphasized, “The UAE’s consistent stance calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the crisis, as there is no military solution to this war. The conflicting parties must return to the negotiating table. To this end, the UAE will continue working with all stakeholders and support any process aimed at putting Sudan on the political path to achieving a permanent settlement and national consensus to form a civilian-led government.”
This $70 million contribution is part of the UAE’s commitment announced in April during the “International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighboring Countries,” dedicated to UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to alleviate the acute humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
