The Resident Coordinator Office
The Resident Coordinator Office (RCO)
The UN Resident Coordinator Office provides direct support to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General/ Resident Coordinator/ Humanitarian Coordinator (DSRSG/RC/HC) and the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Sudan to ensure the strategic, coherent and efficient functioning of the UN System in Sudan.
The core functions of the RCO are strategic planning; development economics; partnerships and development finance; data and results management and reporting; and communications and advocacy.
In addition to the core functions, the RCO hosts capacities including the UN Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the Sudan Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) and the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Network (PSEA). The RCO also provides inter-agency coordination support to the UNCT’s various sub-teams (Integrated Program Management Team (IPMT), Integrated Operations Management Team (IOMT), and the UN Integrated Communications Group (UN-ICG).
UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund
In October 2019 the UN Secretary-General, at the request of the then Government, declared Sudan eligible to the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) for a period of five years. The PBF has approved over $60 million in funding to Sudan to support key peacebuilding priorities including durable solutions, rule of law, local peacebuilding, and women’s and youth empowerment. The PBF has thirteen active projects in Sudan totalling USD 37.7 million, one in the pipeline, and six completed.
The PBF invests with UN entities, governments, regional organizations, multilateral banks, national multi-donor trust funds or civil society organizations. The Fund works across pillars and supports integrated UN responses to fill critical gaps; respond quickly and with flexibility to peacebuilding opportunities; and catalyze processes and resources in a risk-tolerant fashion. The Resident Coordinator provides leadership, oversight, and strategic guidance to the PBF portfolio in the country.
Sudan Multi-Partner Trust Fund
The Sudan Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) was established to support the coordinated, coherent and sequenced implementation of the UNITAMS mandate and facilitate peacebuilding and stabilization efforts as stated in Security Council resolutions 2524 (2020), 2579 (2021) and and 2636 (2022). A UN Sudan initiative joint by donors, the MPTF covers the four distinct programmatic areas (pillars) of the UNITAMS mandate:
- Assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, in the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable peace
- Support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements
- Assist peacebuilding, civilian protection, and rule of law, in particular in Darfur and the Two Areas
- Support the mobilization of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance
The Sudan MPTF and the PBF are managed by a Joint Secretariat responsible for the coordination, monitoring and evaluation, and communications of all investments under the two pooled funds in the country, allowing the UN to maximize the impact and synergies of both funding mechanisms.
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Network
In Sudan, the DSRSG/RC/HC has systemwide responsibility for PSEA in country and chairs the Sudan PSEA Network, which is made up on UN agencies, I/NGOs and donor organizations. It is the primary body for technical-level implementation and coordination of PSEA activities as outlined in the 2022/3 PSEA Action Plan. Priorities for PSEA mainstreaming include:
- Sustained efforts to integrate PSEA within the HRP both at project and sectoral levels
- Context specific CBCMs in collaboration with the AAP Working Group to facilitate SEA reporting
- Increased engagement with and support to local populations –awareness and sensitization campaigns, community consultations, SEA risks assessments, and capacity building.
- Step up efforts to support state level implementation of the PSEA Action Plan
- In collaboration with the GBV and CP subsectors, strengthen the victim assistance mechanisms and protocols to adequately respond to the immediate and long-term needs of SEA survivors.
- Institutional capacity building to support I/NGOs develop internal PSEA measures.