The European Union and UNOPS Partner to Enhance Food Security and Resilience of Rural Communities in Sudan
12 February 2025
Port Sudan, Sudan: UNOPS and the European Union have signed a EUR 16.5 million agreement for implementation of the “Enhancing Food Security and Resilience of Rural Communities in Sudan” project. During the next four years, this project funded by the European Union will contribute to sustainable livelihoods and food security in rural communities most affected by food insecurity, climate change and conflicts in Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea states in Eastern Sudan.
The activities will focus on building capacities of smallholder farmers on agricultural and livestock value chains, climate-adapted practices and financial opportunities, to improve their productivity and resilience. Farmers, herders and pastoralists will benefit from better support in agro-ecological and climate-adapted information, mechanised equipment and market.
Through provision of knowledge and skills, the project will create business opportunities and decent employment along priority agriculture and livestock value chains for youth, women and men including persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees and host communities.
The project will also focus on the rehabilitation or construction of the climate-resilient infrastructure to facilitate agricultural production and livestock management, linked to markets and basic services. This will contribute to the increased job opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers involving them through the cash for work modality, while the emergency cash-based support for food security will be provided to acutely food insecure target groups.
"The conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on millions of people, pushing acute food insecurity to unprecedented levels and causing the world's largest internal displacement crisis" said Ambassador Aidan O'Hara, Head of the EU delegation to Sudan. "The European Union remains unwavering in its support to the Sudanese people during this conflict. This 4-year programme with UNOPs comes at a critical moment as people grapple to sustain their livelihoods amidst immense uncertainty. By providing job opportunities, supporting farmers and people in rural communities to increase their productivity, access to water resources as well as access to markets, we hope this programme will support people to build sustainable livelihoods and more resilient future"
“UNOPS has been committed to supporting Sudan and its people for almost 20 years, so our partnership with the European Union shall bring tangible benefits to the small farmers and communities,” said Ms. Worknesh Mekonnen, Director of the UNOPS Multi-Country Office for Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan and Representative to the African Union. “Climate resilience will be the cross-cutting aspect of this project that would contribute to the communities to adapt their approach to agriculture.”
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Press contact details:
Meron Aberra, Communication Officer, E-mail: merons@unops.org
Mobile: +251-953-136-488, Website: https://www.unops.org/sudan
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