Driving Better Humanitarian Outcomes Through Communication and Coordination in Sudan

At the end of March 2018, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and its partners estimated that 5.5 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance, an increase of 0.7 million compared to 2017. The increase is due in part, to the South Sudanese refugee influx, disease outbreaks, food insecurity and malnutrition. While agricultural production in Sudan improved in 2017, food insecurity continues to be driven by rising prices for basic commodities.

Sachiyo Miwa served as a UN Volunteer Associate Humanitarian Affairs Officer with OCHA in the Sudan under the Human Resource Development Programme.

During her assignment, Sachiyo gained critical oversight of the challenges actors face in delivering humanitarian response efforts. Sachiyo worked for the Coordination Support Section of OCHA. 

In Sudan, OCHA works with humanitarian partners and alongside UNAMID, which is also mandated to facilitate humanitarian access.

Sachiyo worked on written and presentation documents, including the review of the humanitarian coordination structures at national and state levels. A testament to Sachiyo’s expertise, these documents are now considered the basis for further discussions on shaping a coordination structure that can support humanitarian and development response while enhancing peace building.

Sachiyo’s work contributed to resource mobilization in the recently accessed Jebel Marra region in Central Darfur, as she consolidated inputs provided by active sector coordinators. She drafted the Multi-Sector Rapid Response Plan which focused on the urgent humanitarian needs associated with malnutrition among children under five in Jebel Marra localities.

Of her experience, Sachiyo remarked “I believe my professional skills, including coordination skills and communication skills, have improved.”

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