On 9-10 March Minister of International Development Erik Solheim is attending a donor conference for Sudan in Paris.At the conference he will call on the Sudanese authorities to implement the peace agreement and put an end to the conflict in Darfur.

The donor conference in Paris is a follow-up to the conference held in Oslo in April 2005, where the international community pledged about USD 4.5 billion for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in Sudan.

- Norway will put heavy pressure on the Sudanese authorities to implement the peace agreement as intended and make all possible efforts to put an end to the conflict in Darfur, said Mr Solheim.

The Oslo Conference triggered new international donor interest in Sudan following the signing of the peace agreement between the authorities in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. The pledges made in Oslo have largely been fulfilled, although this has meant that a vast share of the humanitarian assistance has gone to Darfur at the expense of other parts of the country that also have great needs.

Norway is providing extensive support for the implementation of the peace agreement, both through providing extensive assistance and through chairing the commission that is monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement. During the conference, Mr Solheim will have meetings with representatives of the new Sudanese Government of National Unity, the UN and the World Bank.

Press contact: Assistant Director General May-Elin Stener, mobile phone: +47 95 86 47 01