Author(s)

Abstract

At the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, a Call to Action was made to development partners to respond to the Sudan regional crisis. The Call to Action identified the following 4 priority interventions: 

1. Development actors are invited to leverage greater technical and financial capacity to support the planning of integrated settlement approaches, by bolstering national public systems in areas that have been impacted by the Sudan crisis, thereby facilitating the inclusion of refugees to access such services. Supporting an inclusion agenda from the onset of the crisis can help prevent the establishment of unsustainable parallel systems of assistance. 
2. Development actors can support host governments with data and planning to facilitate the inclusion of displaced people in sectors such as education, health, justice, social welfare and civil registration, as well as on budget support to cover recurrent costs, such as teacher and health worker salaries. 
3. Development actors and the private sector are encouraged to leverage their comparative advantages in creating market and employment opportunities to avoid dependence on humanitarian aid and promote self-reliance. Joint advocacy for the removal of policy and other barriers is a key priority to allow for economic inclusion. 
4. Development actors are invited to review their portfolios of interventions to include returnee populations to ensure that returnees can access services and live self-sufficiently. Stronger engagement is needed on issues that are crucial for voluntary and safe return such as the scaling up of public services, livelihoods and economic opportunities, and access to justice.