Norway will host an international donor country conference on Sudan on 11 and 12 April.The conference will be a decisive step in the follow-up to the peace agreement that was signed between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in January 2005, bringing to an end Africa’s longest civil war.

Representatives from international organisations and around 60 countries will attend the conference. Her Majesty Queen Sonja will be present for the official opening by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will head the UN delegation; Sudan will be represented by First Vice President Ali Osman Taha and SPLM Chairman Dr John Garang de Mabior.

Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, says that the conference is vital for ensuring that the peace process is implemented and for improving the humanitarian situation in the country, including Darfur. Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson will chair the conference. Foreign Minister Jan Petersen will hold the opening statement at a working lunch on 11 April.

- There is broad international agreement that the donor country conference on Sudan must take place now, even though the situation in Darfur is still serious, says International Development Minister Hilde F. Johnson. - The international community must fulfil its obligations to Sudan in order to ensure the success of the peace agreement, the reconstruction of the country and humanitarian support for the people.

It is expected that international donors will pledge funds at the conference both for the extensive long-term needs and for the immediate humanitarian needs. The need for humanitarian assistance has increased dramatically in the southern part of the country since the peace agreement was signed. This is because many hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people are now returning to their home areas. The people there are already suffering from shortages of food and essential social services.

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Practical information
The conference will be held at Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel in Oslo. Participation is by invitation. Members of the press must obtain personal accreditation. Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik will open the conference on Monday 11 April at 10.00.

The programme

Electronic accreditation: press@mfa.noby 7 April 2005

Press contacts

• Practical questions on media arrangements and accreditation: Adviser Oona Solberg, oos@mfa.no, tel. +47 22 24 38 58 / +47 92 62 22 71
• Media enquiries to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Press Spokesperson Anne Lene Dale Sandsten, anne.sandsten@mfa.no, tel. +47 22 24 30 10 / +47 90 85 81 14
• Media enquiries to the Minister of International Development: Head of Information Espen Gullikstad, espen.gullikstad@mfa.no, tel. +47 22 24 39 11 / +47 91 70 81 22