Attachments
Introduction
Almost nine months after the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Khartoum on 15 April 2023, more than 10 million people have fled their homes, taking refuge inside and outside Sudan. As of today, Sudan is the country with the most significant internal displacement crisis and the largest displacement crisis in the world. Based on UN estimates, Sudan More than 8.8 million people have been forced to flee their homes, with over 6.8 million people displaced within Sudan, including 1.63 million women and girls of reproductive age. Among them, over 160,000 are pregnant women, and an estimated 54,000 childbirths are expected in the next three months. 24.8 million are in need of humanitarian assistance and 6.9 million are at risk of GBV.
In addition to the continued fighting and displacement, rising levels of hunger and severe acute malnutrition are anticipated to result in increasing levels of hunger-related mortality in the coming months. The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan appeal is 16.6 percent funded as of 22 June 2024.
Women-led organizations (WLO) play a crucial role in humanitarian response, especially in volatile security settings, where they are often the only operational actors able to access populations in need, providing lifesaving GBV prevention and response services. However, they still face marginalization in leadership and HPC decision-making.
Local actors, in general, and women-led organizations (WLOs), in particular, are rooted in communities, are most affected by the problem, and their role is crucial in driving transformational change. Despite collective efforts toward achieving localization as part of the Grand Bargain commitments, significant progress still needs to shift power and resources into the hands of local actors.
The conflict break out in Sudan and the movement restrictions have further highlighted the critical role of WLOs in responding to this humanitarian crisis, especially when it comes to GBV prevention and response. In this regard, the Sudan GBV Sub-Cluster (hereafter GBV SC) initiated the plan to recognize the value of WLOs in strengthening GBV coordination and response and to utilize the various skills and rich experiences that WLOs already possess and bring to the GBV prevention and response.