Photo by Muntasir Sharafadin, UNAMID.
On 4 September 2018, UNAMID concluded a three-day workshop on Promotion of Good Governance at the University of El Geneina, West Darfur. Some 40 officials, including nine women, attended the event representing state authorities, Sudan Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (SDDRC) and civil society organizations.
The capacity-building training, sponsored by UNAMID’s Governance and Community Stabilization Section in collaboration with Peace Action Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR), sought to support key stakeholders in Darfur to identify their roles and responsibilities in the peace process.
Addressing the attendants in the closing session, UNAMID Sector West Head of Office, Oumar Kane, expressed appreciation to PATRIR for the support in facilitating the workshop, which came as part of the Mission’s efforts to enhance capacity of the state officials and the local community on issues related to peace and good governance principles.
“We hope this training will help to enhance stabilization efforts in West Darfur. I would like to call upon all participants to apply the knowledge they have acquired through the workshop, to help their communities to achieve peace and stability,” Mr. Kane concluded. He also briefed the participants on the Mission’s ongoing reconfiguration process, within which its Sector West office would be closed among other headquarters and team sites. Additionally, he underlined UNAMID’s commitment to implement its mandate, in collaboration with the UN Country Team, to support peacebuilding.
Acting Secretary-General of the state authority, Mohammed Zakaria, called on the participants to support the government’s peace and stability efforts in the area. He underlined the government’s readiness to bring about peace, support voluntary return programmes and engage local communities in the process.
Expressing his appreciation, Mohamed Tyman, an administrative officer from Habila Locality, pointed out that the workshop equipped the participants with further knowledge on ways to utilize local resources to meet the community needs, especially the vulnerable, and to engage in plans to develop infrastructure
Fatima Alameldin, a member in the University of El Geneina Peace Studies and Development Center, stated that the workshop contributed to building capacities of the participants on facilitation and planning for peace activities. She pledged to advocate for government officials to support programmes aimed at enhancing awareness of communities on peace and conflict resolution.
Five similar workshops supported by UNAMID are to be conducted across all Darfur states.