Message by Ms. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Deputy-Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Officer-in-Charge of UNITAMS, Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator, to the Sudanese women participants in a workshop organized by UNITAMS and UN Women, entitled “Strategy Meeting: Towards Enhancing Coordination among Women’s Groups”; Cairo, Egypt; 29-31 October 2023.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to welcome you to this important workshop. I regret that I cannot be with you in Cairo. However, I know that colleagues from UNITAMS and UN Women as well as CMI and Inclusive Peace will participate and contribute to your discussions this week.

I joined the UN team in Sudan in May and came to Port Sudan in June. During the almost five months that I have been here, I have seen first-hand the suffering that Sudanese are facing as a result of the war.  I have spoken to Sudanese women from all walks of life about their current situation as well as their wishes and hopes for the future. I have been very impressed by their resilience, as well as their clear commitment to pursue an end to the war and a return to a peaceful transitional and democracy.

I know that many of you have been advocating for peace, justice and freedom for a long time, and the UN has been privileged to accompany you on that journey both before and after the revolution in 2019. We remain with you, committed to supporting your goals and aspirations.

The international community appreciates that there are diverse views on to how to stop the war and what the priorities for a new transition ought to be. Varied and competing opinions are the cornerstone of any democracy. The urgency of the situation in Sudan however calls for an enhanced collaboration. As we hear the Sudanese call for a more coherent and consolidated international mediation effort, we strongly believe that efforts to mediate an end to the fighting must include civilian voices of which the voices of women are key.

Here in Sudan, our commitment to supporting and defending the full and meaningful participation of women in future peace and political processes is undiminished. This commitment is shared by our international partners, including those who are joining you today. Sudanese women’s willingness to work together to build bridges and look for ways to coordinate and collaborate are commendable, and will no doubt set an example for other sectors in Sudan to follow.

I wish you all very fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.