Sudan, UNHCR Discuss Support for Safe and Dignified Voluntary Return

Khartoum –
Sudan’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Welfare, Mutasim Ahmed Saleh, met with a delegation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), led by Mamadou Dian Balde, Regional Director for East and Southern Africa and Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Sudan situation, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in supporting the safe and dignified voluntary return of Sudanese refugees and their sustainable reintegration.
The discussions focused particularly on Sudanese returnees from Egypt, Libya, Uganda and Chad.
The minister stressed UNHCR’s pivotal role as a partner in the Higher National Committee for Voluntary Return and Reintegration, particularly in coordinating return arrangements with host countries, providing technical support, mobilizing international resources, and linking return efforts to the restoration of basic services and livelihoods.
He also underscored the importance of strengthening the capacity of host communities to accommodate returnees.
The two sides agreed to develop a framework agreement outlining joint priorities, coordination mechanisms and resource mobilization arrangements within the framework of the National Strategic Plan for Voluntary Return and Reintegration. They also agreed to provide UNHCR with a copy of the strategy.
“Our goal is to transform return from a humanitarian response into an organized national pathway towards recovery and stability, restoring the foundations of a dignified life for citizens and contributing to the rebuilding of affected communities,” the minister said.