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USAID/OTI Sudan Fact Sheet

FY 07 Budget Estimate: $24.75 million ($8 million TI; $16.75 million IDFA)

January 2007

OTI's Sudan program is an integral part of the U.S. Government's effort to strengthen Sudanese confidence and capacity to address the causes and consequences of political conflict, violence, and instability. The OTI program is being implemented within the framework of both the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and more recently, within the context of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and Eastern Peace Agreement (EPA). OTI currently has four implementing partners for Sudan: Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and Internews Network. From 2003-2006, OTI programmed more than $65 million, including the development and implementation of a small grants program, in support of the following objectives:

1. Support emerging civil authorities at the state and local levels - In South Sudan and the Three Areas (Abyei, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile), OTI has provided basic equipment, critical capacity-building training, and technical assistance to emerging local governance structures. This effort, initially undertaken through a small grants program managed by PACT and now by DAI, has improved the ability of local governments to deliver services to citizens and increased the opportunities for - and the quality of - dialogue between local officials and their constituents. Through the small grants program OTI has also been instrumental in rehabilitating water systems, schools, and health facilities in key locations. The high demand for public services in these areas has outstripped the capacity of local government structures, and support for delivering these services will help to mitigate conflict among returnees and host communities and demonstrate the tangible dividends of peace.
2. Promote engagement of civil society in support of peace processes and dialogue with civil authorities - Through its small grants program, OTI supports countrywide civil society activities aimed at increasing access to information among key groups on various aspects of the CPA. It also funds grassroots peace and reconciliation processes critical to reducing violent conflict in key parts of the country. OTI supports inter-group dialogue, awareness of human rights within the CPA, and compliance of local laws with the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan. On a more limited basis, OTI has also funded a small number of grassroots efforts to increase awareness of the DPA and EPA.
3. Increase availability of high-quality and independent information on transition issues - Through its small grants program, OTI increases the availability of high-quality and independent information to Sudanese newspapers and radio stations to improve access to balanced information regarding the CPA, the Interim Constitution and Constitution of Southern Sudan, and the role of local government in meeting constituent needs. OTI has also recently provided a $2 million award to Internews Network to facilitate the establishment of four community FM radio stations in the South.
4. Protect vulnerable populations in Darfur - OTI enhances the safety and other basic rights of vulnerable civilians, particularly women, affected by the conflict in Darfur. In collaboration with OFDA, OTI is spearheading the $15 million Initiative to Combat Violence Against Women launched by the Secretary of State. Through this initiative, OTI supports activities to minimize women's exposure to violence, monitor and document abuses, increase safe access to victims' services, combat impunity, and help communities to heal. Mechanisms of the initiative include a small grants program to fund local organizations; a $2.27 million grant to UNDP to support access to justice, including legal aid and victims' services; a $2.6 million grant to OHCHR to promote and protect human rights; and a $350,000 grant to Internews Network to provide information on gender-based violence to Darfur refugees and their host communities in Eastern Chad.

For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: Michele Amatangelo, Program Manager, Tel: (202) 712-4275, mamatangelo@usaid.gov