01 June 2011 - In preparation for the Darfur International Conference on Water for Sustainable Peace, set to take place in Khartoum from 27 to 28 June, 2011, a briefing for donors and media was held yesterday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.





UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative for Operations and Management, Mohamed B. Yonis, accompanied by the UNICEF Representative for Sudan, Nils Kastberg, UNEP Sudan’s Program Manager, Robin Bovey, and the Head of a consortium of international NGOs operating in Sudan, Mark Simmons, explained the role of water as a potential instrument of peace in Darfur.





The presenters encouraged the international community to focus on the need for improved access to water resources and responses to climate changes in Darfur as a way of addressing the root cause of the conflict.

The aim of the international conference is to raise approximately 1.5 billion USD for water resource projects in Darfur. 

Communication and Public Information Division Media Contacts


Kemal Saïki, Director; saiki@un.org; tel.: +249 (0) 92 244 3529; mobile: +249 (0) 92 241 0020

Chris Cycmanick, Officer-in-Charge, Media Relations, cycmanick@un.org, mobile: +249 (0)91 253 8436