Dear Ms. Assistant Executive Director,
distinguished experts,
Thank you for the opportunity to open this event focusing on one of the gravest humanitarian crises in the world today: the war in Sudan and its devastating consequences for millions of people.
On behalf of the Finnish Parliament Group on Global Issues and Network on Human Rights, I am honoured to welcome you to the discussion we are hosting together with the UN World Food Program (WFP) and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The war raging in Sudan since April 2023 has led the country into the world’s most severe humanitarian emergency. Around 33 million people – two thirds of the population – are dependent on humanitarian aid and 13 million people have been displaced. Around 12 million people, including children, are at risk of gender-based violence. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) report described rape and sexual violence remain ”part of everyday life” in several areas of Sudan even when fighting in the country’s civil war has moved elsewhere. Use of sexual violence has been widespread, including in Darfur region.
Humanitarian organisations are calling for an immediate end to the violence, respect for international humanitarian law, unhindered humanitarian access, and the protection of civilians and aid workers. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said it has lost more than 100 colleagues in the conflict. Plan International has said that children, women, and girls are bearing the brunt (brant) of the war, even though they are not responsible for starting it.
Despite its devastating impact, the war in Sudan continues to receive inadequate international attention.
The atrocities, including those in El Fasher, must be addressed as part of a resolution to the conflict. Both sides have committed violations of international humanitarian law. It is the responsibility of the international community to ensure that the atrocities are not repeated.
Violence between armed fraction competing for power has torn apart the country’s social fabric, destroyed homes, hospitals, and schools, and forced millions of people to flee.
This is now the world’s largest displacement crisis. Millions have fled within Sudan in search of safety, and millions among them have crossed borders into neighbouring countries.
But behind these numbers are individual human lives.
Mothers trying to keep their children alive without sufficient food or clean water.
Young people whose studies, careers, and hopes for the future have collapsed overnight.
Children who have witnessed violence, lost loved ones, and are growing up surrounded by fear and insecurity.
And civilians for whom access to a hospital no longer means access to treatment, but an impossible journey through conflict zones.
Women and girls are particularly vulnerable in this crisis. Sexual violence has increased at an alarming rate. Rape is being used as a weapon of war, and many women face violence while fleeing or while trying to secure necessities such as food and water. At the same time, maternal and reproductive healthcare services have collapsed in many areas.
The impact on children is profound and long-lasting. A generation of Sudanese children is now growing up amid war, hunger, and uncertainty. Millions are out of school. Educational institutions have been destroyed or converted into shelters, and in many areas formal education has been interrupted for years.
When education is disrupted for prolonged periods, we lose far more than classroom learning. We lose stability, opportunity, and hope for the future.
Sudan’s healthcare system is also in a dire situation. A large proportion of hospitals are no longer functioning. There are severe shortages of medicines, vaccines, and healthcare workers. Meanwhile, diseases such as cholera and malaria are spreading rapidly, especially in overcrowded displacement camps without adequate sanitation or clean water.
In the midst of this humanitarian disaster, ordinary civilians are paying the highest price. People who have no role in the power struggle and yet bear its full consequences.
Distinguished guests,
The crisis in Sudan is also a test for the international community. It challenges us to ask how the world responds when a humanitarian catastrophe no longer dominates headlines every day. It asks whether we are willing to defend humanitarian law, protect civilians, and ensure that aid reaches those who desperately need it.
Finland, as part of the international community, has an important role to play. Humanitarian assistance, support for international organizations, diplomacy, and the defence of international law are not abstract principles. They are concrete ways to reduce suffering and sustain hope for people who have lost nearly everything.
It is vital that we do not become desensitised to crises like this or allow them to fade into invisibility. Every statistic represents a human being with a name, a family, dreams, and the right to live in safety and dignity.
That is why today’s discussion matters.
We need the expertise gathered here to better understand the consequences of the conflict, the realities facing humanitarian operations, and the actions the international community must take. We also need to focus particularly on supporting women, children, and young people whose futures are now under severe threat.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to all humanitarian organisations, aid workers, and local actors working under extraordinarily difficult conditions to support the people of Sudan. Your work is invaluable.
I hope today’s discussions will give us an opportunity to discuss further what Finland, as part of the international community, can do in the situation of Sudan, and what could be the way forward. We must continue the work of the Berlin, Paris and London International Sudan Conferences to coordinate aid to Sudan and promote international cooperation to end the violence. It is important that we find a path to resolution, peace and rebuilding. I strongly believe this must be done through international cooperation with strong local Sudanese ownership of the political direction of their country and their future.
Thank you.
