LONDON: Saudi Arabia is providing a $10 million grant to the UN to supply conflict-stricken Sudan with fresh, sustainable water and to rehabilitate war-damaged pipeline networks.
A grant memorandum of understanding was signed on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, by Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development; Hassan Hamid Hassan, Sudanese permanent representative to the UN; and Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The memorandum focuses on rehabilitating and expanding Sudan’s main water networks, improving the Nile River water supply in the capital, Khartoum, and enhancing solar energy operations, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
It aims to improve access to drinking water for Sudanese communities, reduce the risks of disease and epidemics associated with contamination, and promote public health, it added.
Al-Marshad said that the MoU enhanced the water sector’s infrastructure and provided sustainable solutions to address urgent needs while supporting long-term development in Sudan.
Salih said that access to basic services, such as water, would help Sudanese communities achieve stabilization.
“This generous financial support not only meets urgent water needs, but also enhances the resilience and self-reliance of people in conflict zones, develops the vital systems on which communities depend,” he said.
The Saudi Fund for Development has financed 18 projects in collaboration with the UN in eight developing countries over the past 10 years, including Pakistan, Gaza, Lebanon and Somalia, among others. These projects have a total value of $85 million and have contributed to the well-being of communities, benefiting more than five million people.
