SUDAN Experts, visited the regions of Sudan from 8 to 11 November 2016, and met state representatives and nonstate stakeholders from the following five regions (participants from 15 States attended the meetings): • • • • • Medani for El Gezira Region Kassala for Kassala Region Kordofan for North and South Kordofan Region Damar - Nile River Region Nyala for North, South, Central, East Darfur Region. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS IN THE THEMATIC AREAS Democracy and Political Governance 11. Sudan faced challenges in instituting democratic governance since independence, not least because of military interventions and conflicts, which fractured the national elite and frustrated attempts to forge a national consensus on how the country should be governed. In dealing with these governance challenges, the Government of Sudan and its opponents negotiated and adopted the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2004 and the 2005 Interim National Constitution to restructure governance institutions on the basis of power sharing. 12. The Government of Sudan has also implemented a programme of decentralization to transfer power to the regions and localities, enhanced women’s political participation, and subsequently conducted a national dialogue to adopt recommendations, which will form the basis of a Government of National Consensus in early 2017. The Government continues to endeavour to persuade rebel and opposition groups that did not participate in the national dialogue to endorse its outcomes; and, build trust that the recommendations of the national dialogue will be implemented and that the envisaged Government of National Consensus will create a conducive environment for establishing a stable democratic system of government. 13. Sudan has signed or ratified the international and African codes and standards on Democracy and Political Governance, especially the four most important ones relating to democratic governance, namely, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination, 1965; Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989; Optional Protocol on the Rights of the Child, 2002; and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1981. However, it has not signed the two Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1981 for cultural reasons. Nevertheless, Sudan has signed standards and codes proximate to some of those it has not signed. For example, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of Women in Africa (2003), which it signed in 2008 is close to the CEDAW, and policies such as the setting aside of a quota of 30% of seats for women in legislative assemblies bring the Sudan closer to the principles and goals enunciated in the CEDAW. 14. The Interim National Constitution (INC) of 2005 contains very good provisions that enhance Sudan’s democratic governance. For example, it contains a Bill of Rights that guarantees civil and political rights that are critical to the realization of democratic governance. Democratic and political governance reform initiatives should therefore focus on aligning the statutory legal order with the progressive INC. Although there are currently fewer incidents of press censorship, there is a need to ensure that existing regulatory initiatives do not unduly constrain media freedom. 15. Sudan should consider establishing institutional mechanisms to facilitate the democratic governance of security. As stipulated in the national dialogue recommendations, there should be constitutional and legal mechanisms that define the supremacy of political leadership over security forces and clarify the responsibilities of the three branches of government and the security forces for governance of security in peacetime and during war and other emergencies. These mechanisms should ensure that there are appropriate checks and balances in security governance. In particular, there is a need to enhance existing 04