These data come from 10 employment agencies in the following states: Khartoum, Red Sea, North Darfur, West Darfur, North Kordofan, Kassala, Al-Jazirah, White Nile, Port Sudan and Al-Ubayyid.

3.The labour market: surveys, studies and planning

32.The labour force survey was completed and a final report as well as state reports on the project were prepared in 2011. Work has begun on a survey of the informal economy and a survey of institutions.

A study on ways to address the problem of unemployment in the Sudan was submitted at various levels to the Council of Ministers. It was approved and instructions were issued for six-monthly updates. The study contained a number of employment strategies, policies and programmes aimed at reducing the unemployment rate by at least 2 per cent each year;

A national committee was established to formulate a national employment policy for the Sudan with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO); three meetings on the subject were held;

Action has been taken to implement the labour-intensive youth employment project (for unskilled labour) in the areas of road maintenance and waste management. Preparations for the project, which targets 2,000 young people, were begun in 2013 with the support of the India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It will be implemented in the state of Khartoum and subsequently extended to West Kordofan, South Kordofan and Darfur. A workshop was organized for all partners and stakeholders. In addition, a meeting was held between UNDP, the Ministry of Finance and the ambassadors of the IBSA countries.

33.The unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Sudan had a major adverse impact on foreign investment in the country. Moreover, existing investment does not contribute significantly to the employment of local labour.

Impact of measures taken by the State party to improve the working conditions of women in the informal economy

34.The Ministry of Labour and Administrative Reform has taken the following action to improve the conditions of women in the informal economy:

Conduct of a survey of women working in the informal sector, focusing on economic activities, occupations and qualifications;

The Ministry elaborated a national development project for rural women in coordination with the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security with a view to improving the situation of productive women and increasing women’s participation in production conducive to higher living standards;

Development of a microfinance culture among rural women, using diverse media channels, in order to attract and persuade them by means of microfinance awareness-raising programmes containing information on the options available and means of obtaining access to them, especially in rural areas;

Provision of legal protection for rural women and promotion of their economic empowerment, since more than 85 per cent of women who work in the agricultural and informal sectors lack legal protection;

Conduct of research on the advancement of women, and on building their capacity to play a role in the development and implementation of the national strategy, by establishing a database, analysing its content, and deriving conclusions from the results that can be used to improve their situation in theory and in practice;

Promotion of gender equality in education and child care in rural areas by means of investment in infrastructure, training of staff, and building of women’s capacities to obtain access to appropriate employment opportunities;

A study of women’s employment in the informal sector led to the development of legislation regulating women’s work and offering them protection; a training course was organized on the economic empowerment of women; and International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March each year.

35.The following are the key measures taken by the State to improve the working conditions of women in the informal sector:

1.The Ministry of Welfare and Social Security introduced a national productive family award to encourage production and productivity. Its basic aim is to turn consumer communities into productive communities, including women in the informal sector, especially by developing their work and training them in partnership with national institutes, faculties and research centres such as the Faculty of Community Development, Sudan University, the National Food Research Centre, and the Ministry of Science and Communications;

2.Research was conducted on the advancement of women, and on building their capacity to play a role in the development and implementation of the national strategy, by establishing a database, analysing its content, and deriving conclusions from the results that can be used to improve their situation in theory and in practice;

3.Promotion of gender justice and equity in education, health and child care in rural areas by means of investment in infrastructure, training of staff, and building of women’s capacities to obtain access to appropriate employment opportunities;

4.Improvement of the situation of women and increasing women’s participation in production conducive to higher living standards;

5.Building of the capacities of rural women with a view to promoting their economic empowerment and protecting them socially and politically;

6.Women working in the informal economic have been admitted to the individual health insurance system and the Savings Bank has provided them with funds for small-scale projects.

Article 7The right to just and favourable conditions of work

Labour inspections in the State party, including the percentage of companies monitored, irregularities identified and sanctions imposed

36.The state has enacted a number of laws that provide for monitoring and regulation of the activities of companies and establishments, including the 2015 Companies Act, articles 132 to 137 of which concern inspection methods and procedures and acceptance of requests for inspections. In addition, article 15 of the 1997 Labour Code provides for inspections, the examination of documents pertaining to workers, and submission of requests to employers or their representatives or deputies for the necessary information. Articles 87 and 88 provide for the appointment by the competent authority of industrial safety inspectors to implement the provisions of that chapter of the Code so that the authority can monitor all factories and industrial procedures. Industrial safety inspectors are authorized to enter workplaces during day or night working hours to perform their inspection duties, to investigate accidents, to examine machinery and materials and take samples from them, and to check any information that they deem necessary.

37.Special units of the Ministry of Labour known as the Department for the Monitoring and Coordination of State Affairs and the Department of Employment and Migration carry out inspections of establishments and companies. Statistics were produced for inspections of establishments in various sectors at the state level during 2014. They cover 7 states out of a total of 18 and the results were as follows:

930 establishments, representing 11.6 per cent of the total: 303 breaches of various kinds (regulations, fines, service, failure to renew licences, etc.) in various localities of the state of Khartoum.

38.A field campaign aimed at monitoring companies and commercial entities was conducted as follows in 2013:

(a)Figures for businesses subjected to field monitoring during the period from 20 February to 15 November 2013:

Total number registered during the monitoring period	Number visited	Situation approved
5 000	2 022	1 022

(b)Figures for companies subjected to field monitoring during the period from 20 February to 15 November 2013:

Companies targeted
Public-sector + joint-stock company + companies with foreign shareholders + other private companies	Companies visited	Visited but head office moved	Companies whose situation was approved	Summons issued	Situation settled after charges laid	Companies requesting deferral	Referred to the public prosecutor ’ s office
	2 633	1 559	442	632	370	183	70

(c)Figures for commercial agencies subjected to field monitoring during the period from 20 February to 15 June 2013:

Agencies targeted			Field survey
Geographical survey	Agencies visited	Agencies whose situation was approved	Summons issued	Situation settled	Agencies requesting deferral
	10	2	8	3	5

A total of 177 companies were dissolved for violations of the commercial register during the campaigns.

Article 8Trade union rights

The degree to which the right to strike is respected in practice, including data on the number of strikes. Please also indicate whether this right is guaranteed for all civil servants. Please inform the Committee of any plans to change the system of trade union monopoly in the State party so as to respect the right to form and join the trade union of one ’ s choice.

39.The right to strike is guaranteed by law in the Sudan and is respected in practice. Article 6, paragraph 2, of the 2010 Trade Unions Act stipulates: “All means employed by federations and trade unions to achieve the objectives for which they were established, including strikes, are lawful in accordance with the provisions of this Act and its implementing regulations. Such activities shall not entail any civil or criminal responsibility.” A number of strikes were recently announced in the Sudan at the state level (by state federations) and at the central level (by general trade unions). In some cases settlements were reached before the strike took place and in other cases after it had begun or ended. The right to strike is guaranteed by law for all civil servants and there is no trade union monopoly in the Sudan. The right to form trade unions is guaranteed by law and the right to join trade unions is guaranteed for everyone, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force.

Article 9The right to social security

40.With regard to updated statistical data on the percentage of the population covered by the National Pensions Fund and the Solidarity Plan established under the 1993 Public Service Pension Act, which covers employees of the national and federal governments and public agencies and institutions, the working age population (17 to 64 years of age) has been estimated at 38,453,252 in 2015 and the number of persons covered by the Fund has been estimated at 8,381,093 in 2015.

Data	Estimate for 2015	Comments
Contributors	503 217	Percentage of the population covered: 2 per cent
Pensioners	195 312	Percentage of the working age population covered: 8.7 per cent
Total	698 529

41.The National Social Insurance Fund applies the 1990 Social Insurance Act, as amended in 2004, to all private-sector employees, public-sector companies, companies established pursuant to the 1925 Companies Act, companies and banks whose shares are owned by the State, employers of one or more employees, and employers in the liberal professions and in trades and crafts. However, it is not applicable to government employees to whom the provisions of the Pensions Act, as amended, are applicable, or to members of the People’s Armed Forces, the police, prison staff, firefighters and wildlife conservation staff. It is not applicable either to agricultural, pastoral and forestry workers, unless they are working for employers of one or more employees.

Table showing the number of employees who are insured and covered by the Fund in 2015

Population	Number of employees	Number of insured employees	Percentage of the population	Percentage of employees
35 644 002	17 587 645	328 342	1%	2%

Employees who are not in these categories are covered by other security funds such as the National Social Insurance Fund and the funds for the regular forces, the judiciary, the self-employed and agricultural, pastoral and forestry workers.

42.In view of the importance of extending social security coverage to all those targeted by the Social Insurance Act, the Fund administration has drawn up a five-year plan (2015-2020), which aims to cover 20 per cent of the working population, including those working in the informal economy, as follows:

An increase in the number of insured persons by 10 per cent compared with the estimated number for 2015;

An annual increase in the rate of coverage of 2 per cent until 2020.

43.We are also relying to a great extent on the social partners (employers and employees). Significant practical advances have been made in this regard through the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the partners in May 2015 and through partnership programmes with the Sudanese Workers’ Trade Union Federation. Detailed plans will be developed to extend social security coverage to workers in the informal economy.

Article 10Protection of and assistance for the family

Statistical data on poverty

44.The State has taken steps to reduce the poverty rate and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The strategic objective consisted in promoting and developing a partnership among those working in the humanitarian field and in establishing a global partnership for development. The State has formulated strategies and policies to guarantee social justice for the entire population of the Sudan by ensuring access to means of earning a livelihood, providing employment opportunities, encouraging solidarity, self-help, cooperation and charitable activities, and ensuring that no qualified person is debarred from access to any profession or job.

45.The State has also taken steps to promote education at all levels and in all parts of the Sudan, guaranteeing free and compulsory basic education and providing literacy education programmes.

46.Priority is given in Sudanese financial policies to public expenditure on behalf of the poor. The State has taken vigorous action against poverty, including the development of a strategy to end poverty. A Unit to Combat Poverty was established in 1999 in the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. In addition, the High Council to Combat Poverty was established to monitor implementation of the programme to combat poverty. A temporary national strategic plan to combat poverty was prepared as well as a quarter-century growth-oriented strategic plan (2007-2031) aimed at providing services and supporting economic growth. Spending on behalf of the poor has been increased and monetary policies to address poverty have reserved 12 per cent of bank credit ceilings for the funding of microfinance projects.

47.With regard to the phenomenon of homelessness and street children, or children separated from their families, studies conducted in the state of Khartoum included an analysis of the situation and needs of children living in the streets of that state. The phenomenon is being addressed in the light of its findings. The study discussed the phenomenon of homeless children and its causes and consequences, in cooperation with the Institute of Development Studies, Sudan University and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

48.There is no comprehensive study of the number of street children in the Sudan. All the studies conducted were in the state of Khartoum, since it is the end station for the street children. Similar studies were undertaken in a few other states and it was concluded that the problem must be addressed in each state concerned according to the prevailing conditions.

49.The Ministry of Social Welfare and of Women’s and Children’s Affairs formulated a national policy to address the phenomenon of street children in 2009. The strategic objective of the policy was to improve the economic, social and psychological conditions of the target groups and to promote their integration into the community and the family.

Action in the state of Khartoum

50.The Ministry of Welfare and Social Security identified the causes of the phenomenon, the factors conducive to it, the grounds for addressing it and the challenges faced. The measures taken include the following:

1.Establishment of a National Committee on Street Children in 1992;

2.Establishment of shelter and rehabilitation camps for street children in the northern countryside of Omdurman;

3.Formulation of a draft policy on the issue of street children.

Action in the state of South Kordofan

51.The State established a social welfare system in South Kordofan to address the problem of street children and to support and protect the children and their families. It is a comprehensive child protection system that can respond to any situation in which children are exposed to risk.

The main features of the South Kordofan model

52.The following is a description of the main features:

A strong social welfare system for the protection of children was successfully established in South Kordofan. It caters to the needs of vulnerable children in 17 localities and administrative units. The number of social welfare officials increased from 55 at the outset (December 2007) to 200 in early 2009. The governmental authorities provided support for the establishment of an accurate modern database containing information on 3,187 cases; 1,583 registered children were separated from their families; 1,515 were reunited with their families and 68 remain separated. However, the investigations are continuing. The system is very wide-ranging and is well prepared to respond to any emergencies such as displacement;

The parties involved have clear roles and responsibilities;

The system ensures that direct contact is maintained between relevant ministries and the communities concerned and provides for effective communication and support on diverse child protection issues;

Social protection mechanisms were established in communities, focusing on specific cases involving child exploitation (labour: children working and living in the street), female genital mutilation, etc.; there are currently 25 social protection mechanisms for children;

Well-trained officials: Social welfare offices and volunteers possess the requisite skills to detect all cases of child abuse, both existing cases and cases where children are exposed to risk;

There is a strong sense of commitment and responsibility among social welfare officials, and social workers are also present in the market during the evening and at night;

Effective family oversight and reintegration of registered children; social welfare officials work continuously, conducting regular oversight visits, even after children have been reintegrated into their families;

The database works well (it is simple and serves its purpose); it is easy to access information about the majority of children registered by social workers;

UNICEF provides funds for all parties involved in protecting children (police, social welfare, state-level council for child welfare, Ministry of Youth); this has led to the development of joint roles and responsibilities among all parties concerned and the creation of an effective referral system;

The system operates at times of conflict just as under normal circumstances (for example in Abyei) and it meets the needs of internally displaced persons, for example from Darfur (Kailik);

The system adopts an integrated approach:

The Zakat Fund is a strong social protection component of the project for vulnerable families (100 families receive food rations and free health care for children living in the street);

Registration of street children in an accelerated education programme and vocational training programme (in their original communities) before or after their reintegration;

Children over 12 years of age other than those living in the street also benefit from the programme; UNICEF has supported the establishment of accelerated education programme centres in cooperation with the Ministry of Education; the Ministry now has 1,126 centres throughout South Kordofan;

The idea of creating and implementing community child protection networks has produced positive results; it comprises all stakeholders in a specific community (state, locality, administrative unit), the police, education, health, environmental sanitation facilities, and the local administration.

Action in the state of South Darfur

53.The spread of the phenomenon of child homelessness in the state is primarily due to wars, armed conflicts and the special situation and nature of the state. One of the procedures used to tackle the phenomenon has been coordination with the parties involved.

54.As part of the state’s action to rehabilitate the children concerned, the Vocational Training Department of Nyala University has provided vocational training courses for 100 students with UNICEF support.

Action in the state of Blue Nile

55.The state of Blue Nile took vigorous action in two stages to promote the stability of street children. During the first stage, it conducted a preliminary survey in the regions where they are located. During the second stage, it provided psychological and social support, implemented programmes, organized sports activities, and generated awareness of the risks of AIDS. Food was also provided under the project. In addition, a number of media professionals were trained in how to deal with street children and to generate awareness through the media of ways of providing them with protection.

56.In 2014 the Sabah Association for Child Care and Development launched a survey in the cities of Damazin and Roseires with a view to ascertaining the situation of street children.

Action in the state of White Nile

57.The phenomena of displacement and school dropout are the main causes of child homelessness in the state of White Nile. A welfare centre for street children supports action to eradicate the phenomenon of children living in the street.

Action in the state of North Darfur

58.Wars and armed conflicts are the main cause of the phenomenon of street children in the state. A survey clarified that school dropout is also a cause of homelessness.

59.The action taken to address the issue of street children included consultations with the heads and members of civil administrations. It was agreed that the civil administrations should handle the family aspect and that the Zakat Office would treat street children in the same way as needy families.

60.The State attended to the needs of vulnerable groups, such as women and children, by implementing policies and programmes aimed at improving families’ living conditions and alleviating poverty. It provided support for the advancement of women, and raised families’ living standards by removing them from the poverty cycle and giving them access to an income.

61.The State also created small-scale poverty alleviation projects by making the requisite funds available in the form of soft loans such as the women’s portfolio project, which provides funding in kind, in cash or in services on favourable terms and conditions. It has been implemented through a number of banks, such as the Agricultural Bank and the Savings Bank. There is also a project run by the fund for poor women and the fund for interest-free loans, the aim of which is to improve women’s income, to empower them economically and to spread a social banking culture. Other projects include the improved housing project, the marriage support fund, the revolving fund project to improve the situation of tea vendors, the project to fund seasonal family needs and the creativity award for rural women.

Measures taken by the State party to provide a basic living and social services to older persons who are not recipients of pensions, and on the impact of those services

62.In 1992 the State adopted a national mobilization project for integration and production, which was established under the National Pension Fund to support the social welfare of pensioners and their families by means of specific policies and plans. The programmes of the Department of Social Affairs helped to alleviate the hardship endured by pensioners, to improve their health, to guarantee their children’s education, and to provide radical solutions to their problems by making means of production available through the establishment of the Pensioners Investment Department, which is now known as the Pensioners’ Social Development Fund. The Fund provides pensioners and their families with health-care services, guarantees payment of their children’s fees, with special provision for those whose performance is outstanding, and ensures that the national expertise of older persons is appropriately honoured.

63.The Fund has also offered social support, providing material assistance to pensioners confronted with emergencies and natural disasters, such as floods and fires, or with financial insolvency. The Fund’s aim is to alleviate poverty among pensioners, to provides services that help them to increase their income and improve their circumstances, and to encourage pensioners to earn, produce and enrich the economic and social development sector.

Projects and activities funded

No.	Type of activity	Number of beneficiaries	Number of older person beneficiaries	Scale of funding	Scale of funding for older persons
1	Individual small-scale and micro projects	6 000	3 600	40 800 000	24 480 000
2	Productive family projects	106	64	74 200	44 520
3	Seasonal community needs (Ramadan sugar, sacrificial lambs)	41 000	24 600	10 250 000	6 150 000
	Total number of beneficiaries	47 106	28 264	51 124 200	30 674 520

Social welfare

No.	Type of activity	Number of beneficiaries	Scale of funding (SDG)
1	Medical treatment for pensioners and their families	3 000	86
2	Diverse social support	13 000	2 785 000
3	Honouring of national expertise	20	3 800 000
	Total number of beneficiaries	16 020	3 800 000

64.The Ministry of Social Welfare is responsible for formulating social security and welfare policies for older persons and for strategic planning. It developed what is known as the Comprehensive National Strategy (1992-2002), which guaranteed comprehensive social welfare and health care for older persons within the family, so that the family could perform its role vis-à-vis its older members.

65.The National Committee for Older Persons was established by Administrative Decision No. 41 of 2006, and a ministerial decision taken in 2011-2012 tasked the Committee with the development of programmes and plans focusing on comprehensive social welfare for older persons. It also arranged for the celebration in October each year of the International Day of Older Persons, which was created in 1996.

66.There are few shelters in the Sudan because such requirements are exceptional. Older persons form part of the family; in fact they are the pillar of the family, which looks after them if they are incapacitated. Shelters are therefore only required by those who have lost family care. Comprehensive health care is provided through regular medical examinations and health insurance cards. Pensioners receive health insurance services through their relatives because such insurance is based on families rather than individuals. Hence most older persons are covered through their male or female children.

67.The National Fund provides the following coverage for older persons:

Coverage for older persons until the third quarter of 2014

Insured	Dependants	Contributors
189 526	594 846	784 372

68.A committee was established and tasked, inter alia, with reviewing the legislation applicable to older persons in the light of article 45, paragraph 2, of the 2005 Interim Constitution of the Republic of the Sudan entitled “Rights of persons with special needs and older persons”. Its observations were reflected in the bill to be discussed in the Council of Ministers.

Article 11The right to an adequate standard of living

69.The following table shows the average inflation rate during the period from 1971 until April 2013.

June 2009

70.It should be noted that the inflation rate, which rose continuously from 1971, reached its peak in 1993 at 181.47 per cent. It then gradually declined to a rate of 25 per cent in April 2013.

71.The State budget for 2015 includes a number of plans and programmes designed to reduce poverty rates in line with the objectives of the poverty reduction strategy. Continuous efforts are also being made to absorb surplus liquidity in the economy with a view to reducing inflation rates.

72.Gross domestic product is expected to increase by 6.3 per cent in 2015, and this should lead to a decline in the inflation rate for prices in general, in accordance with the targets of the five-year programme and the policies aimed at supporting economic stability programmes and coordinating financial and monetary sector policies at various levels of government. The average inflation rate is expected to stand at about 25.9 per cent at the end of 2015.

Impact of the National Housing and Reconstruction Project on the reduction of homelessness

73.The housing projects developed by the National Housing and Reconstruction Fund have certainly helped to provide a decent life and to promote security and stability for various segments of society, particularly disadvantaged groups. During the period from 2005 to 2014 the Fund, operating through its branches in the different states of the Sudan, built 79,000 housing units. A budget was allocated for the so-called affordable housing portfolio, which is administered by the Central Bank and in which a large number of commercial banks participate. Six states were selected for the first stage, during which SDG 611 million was allocated for the construction of 7,178 housing units; 83 per cent of the construction has been completed.

74.With regard to persons who were displaced during armed conflicts, the League of Arab States implemented a decision taken at an Arab Conference on Support for the Humanitarian Situation in Darfur. Internally displaced persons were housed in three model Darfur villages built at a cost of US$ 5 million.

75.The Al Maktoum Charity Foundation built three additional model villages in three Darfur states at a total cost of US$ 4 million.

Impact of measures taken to upgrade urban slums

76.People were moved from unregulated settlements to new towns under social housing programmes administered by the National Housing and Reconstruction Fund. A total of 72,000 homes were completed by 2014. To this should be added the affordable housing option mentioned in paragraph 73 above.

Impact of measures taken to supply water to the population in all states

77.The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity is committed to providing water resources for human beings and animals through water harvesting projects and projects for drinking water plants in towns. It is also committed to preserving the national water facility infrastructure and to ensuring a sustainable and efficient water supply. The Ministry’s Drinking Water and Sanitation Unit has implemented various projects aimed at remedying water shortages. Loans were obtained for projects involving hand-pumped water, wells, dams, excavations and water treatment facilities in some states of the Sudan. Action is also being taken to ensure a supply of clean drinking water and to raise the per capita supply to at least 23 litres per day in rural areas and 60 litres per day in urban areas.

78.A plan for the period 2015-2019 aims to raise the per capita supply in eight states to at least 100 litres per capita per day in urban areas:

State	Per capita supply 2014	Per capita supply 2019	Projects
Al-Jazirah	70	120	Construction of new plants in Madani and Maqat
White Nile	40	100	Construction of a plant in Kosti
Sennar	67	120	Construction of a new plant in Sennar
Blue Nile	47	49
Red Sea	45	47
Kassala	50	100	The Japanese programme
Al-Qadarif	43	100	Al-Qadarif plant (Islamic Bank)
River Nile	77	78
Northern	64	64
North Kordofan	45	100	Adjustment and improvement of resources and plans
South Kordofan	30	30
North Darfur	39	39
South Darfur	31	85
West Darfur	38	40	Nyala water project

79.With regard to the measures taken to improve sanitation services in urban and rural areas, the Unit has taken steps to improve the sanitary situation and to protect water resources from misuse and pollution by implementing the relevant legislation and regulations.

80.The Dam Construction Unit seeks the prior consent of the region’s proprietors and guarantees all economic, social and environmental rights. Exemplary procedures are adopted in exploiting natural resources and waste is avoided. Economic, social and environmental rights are also taken into account when the resources are utilized.

Steps taken by the State party to combat food insecurity

81.The most important steps taken by the State in this regard have been the provision of support for basic food products, and the development of food security projects around urban areas for the production of vegetables, fodder, dairy products and poultry. Support has also been provided for national strategic stocks of grain and cereals.

82.The Humanitarian Aid Commission has provided support for conflict victims, in cooperation with the Federal Zakat Office and Civil Defence, by sending a technical support team to affected states, such as North Darfur, to assess the humanitarian situation. The Commission, in coordination with its partners, has dispatched convoys of technical support and humanitarian aid to the areas concerned.

83.The Commission organized a workshop to reflect on ways of integrating and coordinating the roles of the centre, the states and the various partners at all stages of the humanitarian operation, and on amendments to the 2015 general guidelines on humanitarian work with a view to aligning them with legal obligations, ensuring clarity, and simplifying the procedures for conveying assistance to those in need.

84.The Commission signed a joint action plan with a view to coordinating the efforts of the government sectors concerned. The plan allocates some US$ 1.03 billion for about 349 projects in the service and humanitarian sector (health, education, food security, livelihood, water and sanitation, environmental protection, nutrition, recovery, return and reintegration, emergency shelters/materials other than food), the refugee, coordination and joint services sector, and the emergency logistics and communication sector throughout the Sudan. The plan targets 5.4 million people (13 per cent of refugees and asylum seekers) and comprises programmes and projects designed to facilitate a gradual transition from relief to recovery and reconstruction.

85.The Commission signed technical cooperation agreements with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the federal and state levels concerning humanitarian assistance, and with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) concerning joint coordination of IOM humanitarian projects and activities. The following table lists some of the projects:

No.	Project	State	Budget	Comments
1	Development and coordination of humanitarian assistance to affected populations	South and West Kordofan	$823 900	Partially implemented
2	Means of livelihood	South Kordofan, Blue Nile and West Kordofan	$2 500 000	Partially implemented
3	Emergency and shelter project for displaced persons	South and East Darfur	$4 000 000	Partially implemented
4	Revival of local communities through a joint dispute settlement programme	East Darfur, South and West Kordofan	$6 000 000

86.The Commission prepared a draft map of humanitarian needs based on sectors of activity and the geographical distribution of the areas concerned. The map is intended to provide guidance for international humanitarian interventions (United Nations + organizations) so that they are consistent with national plans and the maximum benefit is derived from the resources.

87.The main objectives of this project are:

1.Mobilization of national organizations’ resources with a view to building a partnership and bridging the gap;

2.Provision of authentic practical information with a view to developing a plan to meet existing needs;

3.Undertaking studies and research on marginalized areas, on displaced persons’ camps and on return;

4.Channelling of foreign support and specification of the tasks to be addressed;

5.Establishment of the scale of real needs and attraction of support to address them;

6.Distribution of opportunities and support equitably according to existing needs.

Article 12The right to health

The impact of price control and regulations on access to safe and affordable medicines

88.The health insurance scheme that is currently being applied covers broad sectors of public-sector and private-sector employees and retirees. It meets the cost of health care and treatment for persons covered by the broad insurance scheme and their families. It has thus been possible, through social solidarity, to provide access to medical examinations and medication for hundreds of thousands of low-income earners and poor people at nominal rates. The 1994 Health Insurance Act established a solidarity scheme to which individuals contribute a set amount on the basis of their monthly income. Under this scheme, workers and their families are entitled to various health services, irrespective of family size and the cost of the services provided. Workers now pay 4 per cent of their basic monthly salary, and the State or the employer is responsible for contributing 6 per cent of the worker’s basic salary to the treatment-related solidarity scheme. The State therefore assumes the full cost of a worker’s treatment and 75 per cent of the cost of prescribed medicines, as well as the cost of major and minor surgical procedures. This service is not confined to State employees but covers all citizens, including students and small groups of State employees whose monthly instalments are paid by the Zakat Office.

89. The State adopted a national medication policy by elaborating a Quarter-Century Strategy (2005-2029) and, in 2005, the National Medication Policy in the Sudan, which developed a price control procedure and regulations to guarantee access for all citizens to the medicines they need at an affordable price. The State has implemented this Strategy, which includes development of the national health insurance scheme and lowering of costs through exemption from customs duties and taxation and the regulation of profit margins. Supply strategies have also been reformed in order to increase the availability of safe, effective and affordable medicines.

Effectiveness of measures taken to ensure access to basic sexual and reproductive health services

90.The following action has been taken to ensure access to basic sexual and reproductive health services:

Preparation of primary reproductive health-care services for emergencies and crises, and training of staff for the purpose;

Preparation of a guide for the clinical treatment of rape cases;

Prevention of the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by promoting general precautions, the use of condoms, and blood safety, and prevention of any increase in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rates.

91.With regard to midwives, the Ministry of Health launched an initiative in 2000 to establish an Academy of Health Sciences as an educational institution to remedy shortfalls in human resources and to develop education in midwifery and related nursing and health-care professions. The initiative attracted strong political support, for instance from the President of the Republic and his deputies. As a result, funds were made available, a partnership was built at the local, regional and international level, and infrastructure, branches and training centres for the Academy were developed in the capital city and the states. Quality training for midwives has therefore been introduced in schools located in the various states of the Sudan, and support has been provided.

Development of training courses for midwives

92.The Sudan adopted a simplified approach in the past to the adoption of curricula for the training of midwives. More than one curriculum was adopted: a village midwifery curriculum; a nursing midwifery curriculum; and a technical midwifery curriculum.

93.The Academy and the federal Ministry of Health, with the assistance of all their partners, sought to develop an integrated midwifery curriculum. Following a technical review of midwifery skills, knowledge and requirements, they produced an integrated version of the curriculum, known as the community midwifery curriculum.

The community midwifery curriculum

94.The curriculum is designed to build the capacity of community midwives to provide effective care and appropriate midwifery services with a view to improving the health of women, newborn infants and families in different environments. The total number of midwives rose from 7,575 in 2000 to 19,548 in 2014.

Measures taken to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy

95.High priority is given to youth and adolescent reproductive health care in the Sudan. A comprehensive youth and adolescent reproductive health package provides for awareness-raising of all aspects of their reproductive health as well as references and guides for service providers.

96.The Ministry of Health has taken steps to build effective and creative partnerships with United Nations agencies and other international organizations in order to support general mother and child health care programmes and to train private midwives.

The impact of measures aimed at addressing social stigma and discrimination against persons living with or affected by HIV/AIDS

97.Until recently people who were living with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the Sudan could not openly declare their illness, even to relatives, for fear that they would be stigmatized in a society that viewed AIDS as a socially shameful disease. However, views seems to have evolved and Sudanese society has begun to change its attitude to persons living with AIDS, thanks to the establishment by the Ministry of Health of a National AIDS Control Programme, which plays a key role in raising awareness of all aspects of the disease through targeted plans and programmes. A number of associations of persons living with AIDS and of associations of friends of persons living with AIDS have been created in several states of the Sudan.

Articles 13 and 14The right to education

Measures taken to improve access to education, especially in remote rural areas

98.The Ministry of Education has stimulated innovative measures to improve access to education for children who are difficult to reach and for those affected by poverty and displacement. It has developed plans and strategies to achieve the aim of guaranteeing equality of opportunity for out-of-school children and young people. The following projects were implemented in 2014 and 2015:

2014 projects:

1.An out-of-school project for children and young people: this project was launched in 2005 with the aim of educating children and young people in the 7 to 24 age group;

2.A child learning project: the aim of the project, which covers the period from 2013 to 2016, is to provide education and training for children in the 6 to 13 age group;

3.An e-learning project: the project was launched in 2010 on behalf of communities that are difficult to reach.

2015 projects:

1.A comprehensive national campaign project: the aim of the project, which covers the period from 2015 to 2017, is to eradicate illiteracy for 2 million people by 2017;

2.The educated world for sustainable development project: the aim of the project, which covers the period from 2015 to 2018, is to build the capacities of literacy and adult education staff, and to establish integrated community centres in three states.

Child and adolescent enrolment list by age group and gender for 2012

	7-9 age group	10-14 age group	15-24 age group	Total
Category	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total
Students	20 160	15 182	35 348	24 078	21 922	41 000	13 916	11 569	25 485	58 160	4 857	10 6813
Classes	823	641	Zero	703	569	1 372	1 156	902	2 058	2 682	2 112	4 794

Out-of-school students in the states by age group

Out-of-school programme for children and young people

Literacy education programme

7-9 age group

10-14 age group

15-24 age group

25-45 and over age group

State

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Overall total

Male

Female

Total

Sudan

2E+06

681 912

2 889 690

1 081 600

637 852

1 719 452

1E+06

1 007 877

2 400 753

7E+06

3E+06

8E+06

11 020 295

Persons targeted in 2015

Out-of-school programme for children and young people

Literacy education programme

7-9 age group

10-14 age group

15-24 age group

25-45 and over age group

State

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Overall total

Male

Female

Total

Sudan

75 087

58 882

133 969

54 658

61 944

116 602

39 649

57 379

97 028

347 599

89 096

146 549

235 645

	First group (7-9)
State	Male	Female	Total
Sudan	27 639	36 668	64 307

State educational statistics by age group, level and gender for the out-of-school programme for children and young people

Second group (10-14)
First level	Second level	Third level
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total
12 716	18 176	7 586	8 990	5 604	4 577	57 649

State educational statistics by age group, level and gender for the out-of-school programme for children and young people

Third group (15-24)
First level	Second level	Third level
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total	Class total
61 156	10 836	4 617	5 510	3 086	3 912	88 922	210 878

Statistics for state centres by age group

Number of classes for first group (7-9)

Number of classes for second group (10-14)

Num ber of classes for third group ( 15-24)

First level

Second level

Third level

First level

Second level

Third level

State

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Total

Total classes

Sudan

1 066

1 329

2 395

708

928

414

546

342

282

3 220

520

688

337

409

156

221

2 331

4 946

Alternative education centres (child learning project) for 2015

	Centres for first age group (7-9)	Centres for second age group (10-14)
State	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Overall total
Sennar	10	48
South Darfur	39	50
Kassala	100	110
Blue Nile	0	0
North Kordofan	57	84
North Darfur	61	70
West Kordofan	93	90
South Kordofan	146	217
Central Darfur	11	8
Al-Qadarif	153	201
Khartoum	397	431
Red Sea	11	15
Northern	8	10
Al-Jazirah	6	16
East Darfur	20	30
White Nile	5	5
Total	1 117	1 385

Effectiveness of the measures aimed at ensuring equal enjoyment of cultural rights by all ethnic groups

99.Article 4 (c) of the Constitution of the Sudan states that: “The cultural and social diversity of the Sudanese people is the basis of national cohesion and may not be exploited to cause division.” Article 8, paragraph 1, states that: “All indigenous languages of the Sudan are national languages and shall be respected, developed and promoted.” Article 8, paragraph 4, reads as follows: “In addition to Arabic and English, the legislature of any sub-national level of government may adopt any other national language as an additional official working language at its level.” Artic13, paragraph 4, reaffirms the State’s recognition of cultural diversity: “The State shall recognize the cultural diversity of the Sudan and encourage the diverse cultures to flourish harmoniously and to express themselves through the media and education.” Article 47 of the Constitution guarantees ethnic groups the right to enjoy their culture heritage: “Ethnic and cultural groups have the right freely to enjoy and to develop their own culture. Members of these groups have the right to practise their beliefs, to use their languages, to preserve their religions and customs, and to raise their children within the framework of these cultures and customs.”