SUDAN policies for a continuous socio-economic development with people at the centre. 72. Unlike previous economic plans and strategies, the 25-Year Strategy and the I-PRSP were developed in consultation with national and the international communities, and provided a welcome entry to a more transparent and participatory approach to policy planning. The two documents paved the way for capacity development, particularly in the field of sector strategy and expenditure planning, and long-term visioning processes. The Government is committed to the I-PRSP and regards it as an important bridge to develop a partnership with the international development community. 73. According to the African Development Bank’s 2016 Economic Outlook, Sudan’s economic growth rose to above 5% in 2015 and is expected to increase further to above 6% in 2016 and 2017, mainly driven by agriculture and extractive industries and supported by improved macro-economic policies as stated above. However, the country is facing challenges, including poverty, and unemployment, which were induced by the sanctions imposed by USA since 1997, the secession of South Sudan followed by the fall in oil prices, the threat of climate change and reduced gold purchases by the Central Bank. 74. In order to meet these challenges, the Government has decided since 1999 to prepare a poverty eradication strategy by establishing a poverty unit in the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, and a high council chaired by the President was formed to supervise the preparation of the strategic paper and implementation of the poverty eradication programme. A strategy was launched despite the acute lack of data, and a workshop was conducted to discuss the concepts, policies and the extent of poverty. In 2004, a draft interim national poverty eradication strategic plan was published. The African Development Bank provided a grant to contribute to the national efforts to eradicate poverty in Sudan. 75. As indicated above, most strategies and programmes were formulated in collaboration with regional and international partners. In addition, these strategies or programmes used a participatory approach through public consultations, participatory assessment and validation, including a cross-section of both primary (communities and households) and secondary (experts, academics, CSOs/NGOs, media, etc.) stakeholders. Indeed, it was generally agreed that the process for drafting and adopting the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), the National Strategic Plan and key sectoral programmes and strategies was highly participatory, and that the proposed policy framework was appropriated by all stakeholders. 76. There were different views on the adequacy and quality of the consultations. Some stakeholders contended that the consultations did not cover all parts of the country and that parts of the community were marginalized in the decision-making process. They complained that they were often either minimally involved or not consulted at all. Other stakeholders reported that they were invited to participate in their personal capacity and not as the representative of a group. Conversely, others confirmed that they were consulted and were satisfied with the consultation process, citing the numerous occasions when they were directly engaged or involved through other means such as the media. 77. Regarding participation of women in the formal non-agriculture sectors, there is a clear progress in their participation across the national economy. However, gender disparity in the formal sector is quite noticeable. According to the laws on employment, women in Sudan have equal opportunities to employment as men. The law on equal pay applies to both men and women, as long as they perform the same responsibilities. The pattern of employment is consistent with the economic sector where females are dominant, such as the informal and agricultural sectors. Nevertheless, the expansion of education and other social services in Sudan is reflected in some changes in the pattern of female’s labour status, in particular, encouraging them to engage in the formal sector. The presence of women numbers in the low and middle ranks is relatively high, whereas they still occupy very few positions at high levels. 78. Since independence, Sudanese women have been active in public life. In particular, progress in political participation is noticeable since the seventies. Women currently occupy 30% of seats in Parliament, and their number in ministerial positions is important. There are more than 300 women Parliamentarians in all legislative assemblies in Sudan, which is the largest number ever recorded in Sudan’s modern history. 12