The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Japan have signed a $4.5 million project to strengthen institutional capacity for war debris management in Sudan’s Khartoum State, as efforts continue to support the recovery of conflict-affected communities and rehabilitate damaged infrastructure.
The project, funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is backed by a contribution of 729 million Japanese yen, equivalent to approximately $4.5 million.
The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, November 4, bringing together Rania Hedeya, UN-Habitat Regional Director for Arab States; Takanobu Nakahara, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of Japan in Sudan; and Eiji Kubo, Chief Representative of the JICA Sudan Office.
Patrick Canagasingham, Director of the Regional Programme Division at UN-Habitat, also delivered remarks at the ceremony.
The initiative will be implemented in the localities of Omdurman, Khartoum and Karari, focusing on removing and processing rubble generated by the war, improving environmental and living conditions, and facilitating the rehabilitation of infrastructure and essential services.
It will focus on two main areas: providing the equipment and machinery required for rubble removal and processing, and assessing and strengthening the institutional capacities of local authorities and relevant stakeholders responsible for debris management.
The project builds on the longstanding partnership between Japan and UN-Habitat to support the recovery and reconstruction of communities affected by crises across the Arab region and beyond.
The initiative comes as Sudan continues to face the consequences of the war, which has caused extensive damage to infrastructure, disrupted essential services and left large quantities of debris across affected urban areas.
The removal and management of war-related rubble is expected to support the restoration of basic services, improve public health and environmental conditions, and create better conditions for the reconstruction of affected neighbourhoods.
