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Program Description

The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) Sudan program is an integral part of the U.S. Government's effort to strengthen Sudanese confidence and capacity to address the causes and consequences of political conflict, violence, and instability. The OTI program is being implemented within the framework of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) of 2006 and, more recently, within the context of the Abyei Roadmap Agreement. From 2003 to 2008, OTI programmed approximately $108 million, including the development and implementation of a small-grants program.

Program Activities

1. Promote the emergence of responsive, effective, and inclusive civil authorities. In Abyei, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (the Three Areas), OTI supports state and local-level government officials through training in democratic methods to assess the needs of marginalized communities and engage in participatory development planning and budgeting. In addition, the program supports repair and rehabilitation of small-scale community infrastructure, including health and education facilities, in marginalized areas of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, and priority infrastructure in Abyei, such as the office and Legislative Council for the Abyei Area Administration. These efforts, implemented by AECOM International Sudan (AIS), increase the capacity of state government to provide essential services and address major issues that threaten the success of the CPA. The program also addresses a key source of Sudan's past conflicts by supporting inclusive and reconciliatory integration of various state administrative systems. In Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, OTI is supporting the establishment of the Presidential Assessment and Evaluation Commission, which is instrumental in carrying out popular consultations to test the peace agreement's alignment with the will of the population of these two states and propose amendments for a sustainable peace. Many of these activities are designed to either jumpstart or forge linkages with long-term development initiatives.

 
2. Promote the emergence of an empowered and active civil society in support of peace processes and dialogue with civil authorities. Throughout northern Sudan, OTI focuses on supporting the implementation of the CPA by preparing communities to monitor its progress and advocate for change. Through its implementing partner AIS, OTI supports the dissemination of the content of the CPA and prepares communities for elections through basic civic education. Along the contested North-South border, OTI also facilitates the creation of institutions and lobbying mechanisms that allow consensus building and mitigate potentially catalytic conflicts. In Darfur, OTI supports local-level efforts to identify community recovery needs, build the capacities of local groups and organizations to address those needs with an approach sensitive to peace building, and engage with local and national authorities to advocate for community priorities. Through its implementing partner in the East, ACORD, OTI is fostering the dissemination and implementation of the CPA and ESPA by conducting activities to build conflict management skills, foster advocacy and lobbying around the two peace agreements, and encourage intercultural dialogue among various ethnic groups in eastern Sudan.

 
3. Increase the availability of high-quality and independent information on transition issues. OTI has supported newspapers and radio stations through small grants, strengthening the ability of Sudan's independent media to provide balanced information on key transition issues and to create a forum for genuine public debate. In 2009, OTI continues to increase access to high-quality and independent information on peace processes and transition issues through support for alternative media and information sources, including think tanks, research centers, and community-based organizations.

Fast Facts

For further information, please contact:
Laura Chinn, Program Manager, 202-712-1591, lchinn@usaid.gov.