Department of Foreign Affairs to Co-host Training Programme for Sudanese People's Liberation Movement Cadres, Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, 29 March - Sunday, 10 April 2005

Pretoria - The Department of Foreign Affairs, together with the University of South Africa (UNISA) will co-host a training programme for the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) cadres in Pretoria from Tuesday, 29 March to Sunday, 10 April 2005.

This is the second phase of the Department of Foreign Affairs - Sudanese People's Liberation Movement - University of South Africa (DFA-SPLM-UNISA) Institution and Capacity Building Project and follows the launch of the project in New Site, Kapoeta County from Saturday, 5 to Friday, 11 February 2005. The South African delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad.

The Sudanese delegation will, in addition to representatives of the SPLM, also include delegates from the Presidency, military, democratic governance institutions and local government, the National Liberation Council, and all structures of government including safety and security, agriculture and forestry, public administration and public service management, legal affairs, justice and constitutional development, transport and telecommunications, education, environment, tourism, finance, energy and petroleum, aviation services, social development and health services, and immigration and customs.

South African participants in the programme will include representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Communications, Correctional Services, Defence, Education, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Finance, Health, Home Affairs, Housing, Justice and Constitutional Development, Land Affairs, Minerals and Energy, Public Service and Administration, Provincial and Local Government, Social Development, Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Transport, Water and Forestry, the South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI), the South African Police Services, South African Secret Service, the Presidency and Parliament.

President Thabo Mbeki, on 31 December 2004, during the signing ceremony of the Permanent Cease-fire Agreement and the Protocol on the Implementation Modalities in Naivasha, Kenya, said the people of Sudan expect the SPLM/A and the GoS (Government of Sudan) to build schools, clinics, roads, and work for real dialogue among Sudanese.

In this regard, Sudanese delegates, will during the training programme, be addressed by representatives of government and UNISA and have an opportunity to interact with partner departments in order to begin the work of developing skills to allow the afore-listed commitments to be achieved by the Government of Sudan and the SPLM/A.

Thus, the DFA-SPLM-UNISA project aims to equip the SPLM leadership with skills and experience that will enable them to participate equitably at all levels of governance during the Pre-Interim and Interim Periods, and to discharge their civic duties and deliver basic social services and infrastructure to the people of South Sudan. The project will therefore play an integral role in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) for South Sudan, as well as the reconstruction of the region.
In addition, Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has just returned to South Africa having led a African Union (AU) Ministerial Committee on Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Sudan, which includes Foreign Ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan to Sudan from Tuesday - Saturday, 22 - 26 March 2005.

Before departing for Sudan Minister Dlamini Zuma said, "Post-conflict reconstruction is not just physical reconstruction - there are elements of psychological, political and social reconstruction. It is therefore important to understand what we are talking about."

"In addition, Norway will be hosting a Donor Conference in Oslo on 11-12 April 2005. It will therefore be important for this committee to brief its international partners on what is practically required in Sudan," said Minister Dlamini Zuma.

The Department of Foreign Affairs will provide political and diplomatic support for the Project; the SPLM will identify, design and deliver workshops, short courses and academic programmes on identified issues and themes; while UNISA will co-ordinate the academic aspect of the project.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853.
? Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001
27 March 2005