Sudan: Elections

Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has allocated to support elections in Sudan; and how such funding will be disbursed.

Mr. Thomas
In 2007, the Department for International Development (DFID) earmarked £11 million to support the electoral process in Sudan.

DFID has already provided £1 million for media, civic education and electoral conflict management programmes, and £1.5 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its preparatory support to the elections. The National Elections Commission has yet to present its overall strategy, but once we are content with this plan, we will be able to transfer remaining funds to UNDP and determine any further support the UK may provide.

UK funding supports a range of activities: voter and civic education through local organisations, training workshops for journalists and programmes to support media monitoring, support to domestic observer groups, assistance to the National Elections Commission and training for the Political Parties Affairs Council.