20 July 2010 - A meeting of the High Level Committee was held on 19 July, co-chaired by the Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. The Committee is a vital forum for discussion and coordination between the Sudanese Government and the international community in the Sudan to enable the effective delivery of humanitarian populations in Darfur. 

Participants included officials of the Government of National Unity and the international community, including senior representatives of NGOs, the European Commission, the League of Arab States, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.

The body recognized the grave concerns surrounding the safety and security of humanitarian workers, in particular the recent kidnapping threat against humanitarian workers. The Minister strongly condemned the abductions and restated the Government’s commitment to securing the release of the hostages. The Humanitarian Coordinator and other Committee members stressed the importance of bringing perpetrators to justice.

The members stated their continuing commitment to providing life-saving assistance to people in need, but noted that their operations are increasingly in jeopardy as a result of such threats. The Government said that it would deliver essential drugs by 25 July to three locations in eastern Jebel Marra, an area which has been inaccessible for the past seven months.

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&lt