The United Arab Emirates has signed an important 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.

• UAE Commits to Humanitarian Aid to Address the Crisis in Sudan

The agreement was signed on behalf of the UAE by Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organizations, and on behalf of the FAO by Guangchou Chu, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York. The signing took place at the UAE Mission to the United Nations in New York, attended by Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs and the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN, and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The FAO received $5 million from the UAE’s allocations, which will be directed towards the project “Mitigating Famine in Sudan and Supporting Smallholder Farmers and Pastoralist Families Affected by Conflict.”

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The project, set to last for one year, aims to provide emergency assistance in crops, livestock, and veterinary services to about 275,000 vulnerable smallholder farming and pastoralist 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 in total.

Additionally, the project aims to reduce livestock losses through preventive vaccination against transboundary animal diseases, targeting 2 million heads of livestock and benefiting about 600,000 people, at least 25% of whom are female-headed households.

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Nusseibeh said, “We must do everything we can to stop famine in Sudan, and this allocation aims to achieve that.” She explained that “providing support in emergency agricultural sectors, which will benefit about 1,375,000 people, can mitigate these risks and enhance the resilience of vulnerable farming and pastoralist communities. Women and girls face disproportionate impacts due to the danger posed by this conflict, which is why the UAE emphasizes focusing these initiatives on female-headed households. This initiative addresses immediate needs in Sudan and contributes to sustainable development and long-term stability.”

• The UAE continues to extend its helping hand to Sudanese refugees and the local community in Chad 

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Abdulhakim El Waer, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the FAO for the Near East and North Africa, said, “We greatly 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 goals of the FAO’s 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan, which aims to deliver assistance to 1.8 million families, ensure livelihoods for 9 million people in Sudan, and contribute to broader food production for the Sudanese people. We are committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve, and this contribution brings us one step closer to achieving our goal in Sudan.”

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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.