KHARTOUM, SUDAN (Oct. 15, 2020) – The Carter Center this month will conduct a nationwide survey of Sudanese youth’s attitudes and perceptions of the ongoing political transition and plans to publicly share its findings in early 2021.
In partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, The Carter Center launched a youth citizen observer initiative on Aug. 12. Its objective is to train and assist a largely volunteer network of young Sudanese to monitor and report on the ongoing transition as it takes place in their local communities. The observer network will be independent and impartial.
A first step in the initiative is a survey of youth’s attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of the transition. In the coming weeks, the Center will train young Sudanese men and women on how to conduct face-to-face surveys in local communities. The results of the surveys will be shared with the public and with key stakeholders in the transition process.
The Carter Center also will offer Sudanese youth observers training in democracy, peace, and independent, impartial transition monitoring. The survey results will inform the types of trainings that will be provided and the number of observers recruited. Participants will be asked to train others in their communities, with a goal of engaging as many as 20,000 young activists by the end of the transitional period.
A key objective of the initiative is to support and assist Sudanese youth, including young women, in their development as independent watchdogs and mediators in their communities. Click here for a shareable infographic with more details about the project.
Background
The Carter Center has worked with the people of Sudan since 1986 to help them resolve conflict, negotiate peace, and prevent or eliminate devastating neglected diseases.
In over three decades of activity, the Center has assisted efforts to end Sudan’s second civil war, observed elections in 2010 and the historic referendum on independence for South Sudan in 2011, brokered international peace deals between Sudan and its neighbors, and implemented grassroots conflict resolution mechanisms to aid local populations. Milestones include the negotiation of the 1995 “Guinea worm cease-fire,” which gave international health workers almost six months of relative peace to enter areas of Sudan previously inaccessible because of fighting, and the 1999 Nairobi Agreement between Sudan and Uganda, in which the two governments restored relations and pledged to end support for rebel groups operating against the other’s government.
Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org
In Khartoum, Buthaina El-Naiem, Buthaina.Elnaiem@cartercenter.org
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Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
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