Pledges to Darfur to Cover Four Years of Development Plan

Doha, April 08 (QNA) -The pledges made at the International Donor Conference for Reconstruction and Development in Darfur which wound up in Doha on Monday which totaled more than $3.5 bn will cover four years of the 6-year plan of the Darfur development strategy. Speaking at the end of the conference, HE the Deputy Premier and Minister of State For Cabinet Affairs, Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud said many countries said they will appraise the development projects in the Darfur provinces which will receive the funds. He said the conference reflected the international support which the peace process in Darfur has won, noting that a practical development strategy was presented to the conference. Immediate, short-term projects in the development strategy value 177400 dlrs, he said. Qatar donated $88.5 mn to these projects which will help the regional authority in the province start operating immediately. Al Mahmoud said participating countries in the conference, barring one, expressed their political support for the strategy of development in Darfur and asked for more time to assess projects viability in the province. A mechanism, led by Qatar, will ensure spending transparency, he said, noting that another conference will be held in two years to follow up on the pledges and implementation of the development strategy. Recalling that the Darfur peace process started in Doha in 2008, Al Mahmoud said a fruitful outcome crowned the long process, urging the groups in Darfur that haven't yet joined the peace process to do so as soon as possible.(QNA)