Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Lundy, I move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes that:

     (i)   on 9 July 2011 two new nations will emerge, the nations of South Sudan and Sudan, following an overwhelming vote for indepen­dence by voters in South Sudan's referendum for independence on 9 January 2011,

     (ii)   the two new nations futures are interdependent and their stability has broader regional security implications for north and east Africa,

     (iii)   the emerging picture confronting both new nations is dire and with significant political, humanitarian and developmental challenges as the overall security situation in Sudan is deteriorating at an alarming rate, with severe humanitarian consequences with millions of civilians in both Sudan and southern Sudan in need of protection and critical humanitarian assistance,

     (iv)   Sudan, after Zimbabwe, is the second largest recipient of Australia's humanitarian and development assistance and that since 2004, the Australian Government has provided $136 million to Sudan,

     (v)   the North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 ended more than two decades of civil war, however recent violence and outstanding issues such as border demarcation, oil sharing revenue, currency and citizenship status, are undermining prospects for peace and stability,

     (vi)   Sudan has the highest level overall of people remaining internally displaced according to the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordina­tion of Humanitarian Affairs and the highest number of people newly displaced by conflict and as a result the plight of internally displaced persons and Sudanese refugees will therefore continue to be a shared legacy of decades of conflict;

  (b)   expresses deep concern at the protracted nature of the conflict and displacement in Darfur, now in its eighth year;

  (c)   notes that:

     (i)   the UN estimates that 300 000 people have been killed as a result of violence, malnutrition and starvation and 4 million people are in desperate need of aid, representing nearly two-thirds of the entire estimated Darfur population of 6.5 million, and an estimated 2.5 million people live in refugee camps in Darfur and neighbouring Chad, while others struggle to survive in remote villages, and

     (ii)   humanitarian relief efforts to provide assistance to vulnerable populations are being hampered by limited humanitarian access in some of the most affected conflict areas, including in Southern Kordofan and Darfur, and that insecurity and inaccessibility remains one of the biggest challenges facing the delivery of assistance by humanitarian agencies to vulnerable populations;

  (d)   urges the Governments of South Sudan and Sudan to reaffirm their commitment to peace, conflict prevention, the inclusion of the peripheral regions and ethnic minorities in political representation and decision making, and the recognition of cultural and ethnic diversity through durable political solutions; and

  (e)   encourages the Australian Government to continue assistance to address humanitarian and development needs in Sudan and South Sudan.

Question agreed to.