The Elders (London)
4 December 2007
press release
Washington, DC — In an effort to help bring an end to the crisis in Darfur, The Elders, a group of leaders dedicated to helping resolve major global conflicts, today released an action plan aimed to galvanize key players – the Sudanese government, rebel groups, global leaders and civil society – to re-double their efforts to end suffering in the region.
The action plan – Bringing Hope, Forging Peace – is based on a trip to Sudan by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US President Jimmy Carter, former Mozambique Minister of Education Graça Machel, and former UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. As their first public mission, the Elders' primary focus was to meet with people on the frontlines and listen to those who have been least heard, including women's groups and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur's El-Fasher, Nyala, and Kebkabiya areas. They also met with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir in Khartoum; representatives of opposition parties; the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba; and tribal leaders, and civil society leaders. The release of the plan comes at a critical time amidst continuing violence and skepticism over whether Darfur peace talks and the deployment of a joint United Nations-African Union Peacekeeping Mission (UNAMID) will go forward as scheduled. The Elders have urged leaders in the U.S., Africa, and Europe to support UNAMID.
"Innocent Darfuris continue to be at grave risk," said Archbishop Tutu. "We will do what we can to encourage the Sudanese government, Darfur rebel groups and the international community to prevent a new cycle of violence."
Supplementing the report are exclusive videos and the "Darfur Action Center" which highlights the important work of international humanitarian and advocacy organizations working on Darfur and allows global citizens to learn more about the Elders' recommendations. Both of these can be found on www.theElders.org
"Our goal is to alleviate the suffering of Darfuris who are at risk," said Machel. "One way we can do that is to support the advocacy and humanitarian groups that have been tireless in their efforts and unmoving in their resolve to protect innocents, stop sexual violence, spur governments to action, and keep the issue in the global spotlight."
Voices of Darfuris
Despite efforts by Sudanese security forces to prevent President Carter from meeting with some Darfuris, The Elders were successful in hearing from a wide spectrum of the Darfuri society.
"As Elders, we can give voice to those who have not been heard," said Carter. "In Darfur, we were adamant about listening to people on the ground, who were hopeful in spite of the gravity of their situation. The core of Darfur's crisis is the simple fact that those who have the greatest stake in the future have the least voice in defining it."
The Elders support the efforts of the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation group (DDDC), which is working to ensure that civil society and women's groups are represented in the upcoming peace talks.
The Core Recommendations
In addition to highlighting the voices of Darfuris, the Elders' report aims to spur action from governments and other stakeholders in key areas. Specifically, it calls for:
Moving Forward
The report also contains follow-on steps for the Elders and suggestions for the global community. They include:
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