IDEA - Supporting Sudan’s democratic transition IDEA - stöd till Sudan´s transition till demokrati The overall objective is to support the democratic transition of Sudan by supporting the establishment of mechanisms for dialogue and consensus-building on the transition processes; strengthen the capacity of NEC (National Election Committee)  deliver credible and peaceful elections; enhance women participation and representation in political processes, and strengthen citizens awareness on the transitional processes and the broader democratic governance practices. It is anticipated that Sudan’s transition period and processes will provide an opportunity for the country’s transition to democracy. The contribution is a complement to EU´s project for strengthening democracy in Sudan and is implemented by International IDEA. The project is complementary to the EU´s contribution to strengthening the democracy in Sudan and is implemented by IDEA. However, they are two independent projects.   The duration of the project is 2020-2023, and the total budget is 45,3 MSEK. Projektets övergripande mål är att stödja den demokratiska övergången i Sudan genom att  upprätta mekanismer för dialog och konsensusuppbyggnad med fokus på delstatsnivå; stärka kapaciteten för NEC (National Election Committee) att leverera rättvisa och fredliga val; öka kvinnors deltagande och representation i politiska processer;  samt stärka medborgarnas kunskap om politiska processer och  demokratiska styrning. Det förväntas att Sudans övergångsperiod och processer som initierats av transitionsregeringen kan leda till demokrati, men är i behov av kapasitetsstärkande åtgärder.   Projektet är  ett komplement till  EU´s insats för att stärka demokrati i Sudan och som genomförs av International IDEA.  Det är emellertid två fristående program. Programmet sträcker sig över tre år  (2020-2023) och budgeten är 45,3 MSEK Objectives of the intervention

The overall purpose of the contribution is to support Sudans transition to a democratic system. It contributes to SDG 16 (to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels) and SDG 5 (Ensure womens full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life.)

The objectives with the contribution are to contribute to the following:

• Improved citizens awareness on a transitional processes and democratic governance.
• Policymakers within political parties and the government apply increased knowledge and skills to make more informed choices regarding democracy reforms
• The National Election Commission apply increased knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to complexities and risks in the electoral processes and effectively implement the Electoral Cycle Approach
• Civil society (with a focus on womens groups) and media in Sudan apply increased knowledge and skills to engage with constitution makers, policymakers in political parties and government and the National Election Commission democratically and effectively and promote broad public participation in the process.

After the military coup October, 2021 the interventions were revised  and technical assistance was no longer provided to the government or its institutions.
The programme focus on a) training and strengthening civil society on democratic issues with a focus on young people and women and b) cooperating with other organisations to resist the closure of civil society. Continued support to women political participation and an assessment of the framework for disabled persons' opportunities to participate in elections. After that the civil war started in 2023, all activities focusing on electoral issues have been cancelled as well.
Instead, the IIDEA prioritises the strengthening of the expertise of various parties and organisations on the links between peace and democratic governance and to enhance women's political participation at all levels. IIDEA is implementing its programme remotely and is more inclusive of the Diaspora in exile.