SUDAN water supply due to inadequate capacity and poor operational and maintenance arrangements. Water supply coverage in urban areas, in particular, Khartoum, is about 50%. Due to the poor state of water services in Khartoum, water supply does not meet the needs of its population, which has been increasing tremendously. 88. Considering the importance of potable water and safe sanitation facilities, the Government has decided to formulate a national policy and guidelines on water and sanitation. The general objective is to manage water resources in an integrated manner to support social and economic development in the fields of health, agriculture, and energy and to maintain the productivity and integrity of the environment on a sustainable basis. 89. A good transport network is critical for growth in key sectors of the economy and in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). During various discussions, it was asserted that a network of roads exists, but some roads are inadequate and generally requires improvement. The existence of insufficient and poorly maintained rural and feeder roads connecting villages and farm areas to market centers and the lack of regular transport services pose challenges to economic development in the country. The rehabilitation of roads, in particular feeder roads, is a priority of the Government in the medium term and this would require strong support from international development partners. 90. Despite the progress made by the Government and other stakeholders in promoting and accelerating the sustainable broad-based socio-economic development in Sudan, recent studies indicate that more has to be done to ensure that all stakeholders really participate in the development process. Inequalities between men and women still exist in some areas of education, employment, access to production means (land, credit, etc.), policy formulation and decision-making. In addition, an effective communication, which could build trust and bridge the information and feedback gaps that were revealed by the discussions held with stakeholders on their participation in the development process, is necessary. 91. The implementation of programmes and strategies formulated by the Government in close collaboration with international development partners and full participation of all other stakeholders will require considerable financial resources to be mobilized at the domestic and international levels. The Government should therefore scrutinize ways and means to mobilize these resources for the Poverty Reduction Strategy and particularly the National Programme of Action (NPoA). CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES: 92. The main cross-cutting issues identified in this report feature in the four thematic areas of assessment. By their character, these issues impact developments beyond any particular thematic area and deserve to be highlighted for special attention. At its present level of political, social and economic development, Sudan stands to gain a lot from giving needed attention to and addressing the cross-cutting issues highlighted, namely: Youth Unemployment, Poverty Reduction and Socio-Economic Development, conflicts, IDPs and Refugees, and Economic Sanctions. Youth Unemployment 93. Unemployment rate in Sudan averaged 15.83% from 1993 to 2014, reaching an all-time high of 19.50%t in 2014 and a record low of 11.10% in 1993. The unemployment rate in urban areas was higher than in rural areas and it also appeared relatively higher for the highly-skilled individuals. Lastly, the incidence of unemployment among young people (15-24 years of age) was reported twice as high as for the rest of the population. 94. Such unemployment has negative social, economic and political consequences. It accentuates frustration, poverty, crime, migration and exclusion. It also complicates peace construction in some parts of the country and could threaten social stability, and it represents one of the main challenges, which the Government has to tackle with much effort and caution. 14