UAE Participates in Switzerland Talks to Advance Humanitarian Aid and Peace in Sudan

ABU DHABI [UAE], Aug 24: The United Arab Emirates participated in the talks on Sudan in Switzerland from August 14-23, 2024. The meetings were convened by the United States and with Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Switzerland hosted. The consortium, under the newly established ALPS Group- was aligned to save lives and promote peace in Sudan.

The format includes the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Swiss Confederation, the African Union and the United Nations.

At the conclusion of today’s talks, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the UAE delegation to the talks, Lana Nusaybe said:

“The humanitarian situation in Sudan is intolerable. The need for humanitarian assistance is high and aid groups can provide aid to people in need wherever they are. The UN’s World Food Program knows how to stop and prevent famine. Our message to all parties is unequivocal – let them do their job.

“Over the past decade, the UAE has provided more than $3.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Sudan, including $230 million since the outbreak of the current crisis. We are committed to continuing all our efforts to help the people of Sudan.

“The process in Switzerland is built on the foundation of the Jeddah Accords, and the United Arab Emirates joins the other participants in the negotiations in expressing our gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their continued commitment to this important file. States for their dynamic diplomacy to mitigate the worst humanitarian crisis facing the international community today.

“We welcome the new pattern we have encountered in the last 10 days. The attention and drive of everyone around the table has already led to concrete improvements for the people of Sudan. We agreed on practical measures related to humanitarian access and the protection of civilians. These include allowing the UN to cross the Adre border into Sudan and facilitating aid to famine-stricken people in Zamzam camp and Darfur. Additional commitments were made to expedite access for those in need. During the talks, RSF pledged new and important directives on the protection of civilians, including sexual and gender-based violence, child recruitment and enforced disappearances.

“The UAE was particularly focused on establishing a pathway within the ALPS process aimed at integrating Sudanese women’s perspectives, goals and recommendations in all of Sudan’s peace and humanitarian efforts. We will continue our consultations with Sudanese women to advance their goals and needs, and protect women and girls from violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence.” We are committed to pressuring parties to protect all civilians in Sudan, including

“We have not made the progress we wanted to in bringing a complete cessation of hostilities to an end, and we certainly regret that one party has decided not to participate in these negotiations. We hope that this can be resolved in the future. But we appreciate the constructive diplomacy that has allowed participants to focus on concrete outcomes for the Sudanese people.”

“The UAE is committed to helping the people of Sudan restore peace in their country and ensure they receive the aid and assistance they so desperately need.”