About Sudan/South Sudan Symposium
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The protracted armed conflict in Sudan and South Sudan has taken an enormous toll on the lives of the Sudanese people since it first gained its independence in 1956. There have been two protracted civil wars in Sudan’s history, 1955-1972 and from 1983-2005. Estimates range widely in the number of people that have been killed, including, as many as 2.5 million. In addition, it has been estimated that some 20,000 boys were either orphaned or separated from their parents as a result of the second protracted armed conflict alone.1 Further, a referendum that was held in January 2011 on the question of whether Southern Sudan should become independent received a 98 percent vote in favour of independence.2 Consequently, on July 9, 2011, South Sudan became an independent state.
The UNHCR’s recently released annual Global Trends report has noted that 55 percent of all refugees in the world today come from five affected countries, namely, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Syria and Sudan.3 It is noteworthy that Sudan and South Sudan are on the limited list of countries that account for the majority of the world’s refugees. The UNHCR Global Trends reported underscored the point that war remains the dominant cause of refugees in the world today.
The human rights situation in the two Sudans remains grim at best with human rights groups accusing the Sudanese armed forces of deliberating targeting civilians.4 This is clearly recognized in international law as a war crime. Given the ongoing armed conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan the situation in these two countries remains bleak at best. Without peace in these two countries and within this region of Africa, the prospects of stemming the constant flow of refugees will remain untenable.
The Sudan/South Sudan Symposium is being hosted by the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) at York University. It is an international collaborative effort that involves two other distinguished research centres: the Global Collaboration Centre (GLOCOL) at Osaka University in Japan; and, the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany.5 The Sudan/South Sudan Symposium seeks to bring together noted experts from a number of different disciplines, as well as practitioners and policy-makers from the state, regional and international levels to consider a wide range of social, economic, environmental, and political factors that are affecting the current state of affairs in Sudan and South Sudan. This three-day Symposium will feature a keynote official opening address from a high profile distinguished practitioner/academic. The Symposium will then be structured around morning plenary sessions, that will be open to the public, and afternoon technical workings groups, where the experts will come together to discuss concrete solutions and policy options for the way forward in these two peacemaking and peace building societies.
During the first full day, Thursday, July 4th, of the Symposium, our speakers and other participants will analyze the key factors underlying these inter-related humanitarian crises. They will consider the various forces at play in Sudan and South Sudan that interact to shape current environmental, economic, social and political conditions. The second full day of the Symposium will consider the most effective way forward in addressing the key challenges that are facing the two Sudans. Again, experts will come together in dynamic and highly interactive small group meetings to work out the most creative and effective initiatives, interventions, and programmes in order to address the current humanitarian crises and to create a solid foundation for long-term stability and development in these two new countries.
The Sudan/South Sudan Symposium seeks not only to understand the underlying causes and context of the current inter-related humanitarian crises within these two countries, but it also seeks to map out positive and constructive courses of action for various stakeholders in order to address the most pressing concerns of the people of Sudan and South Sudan.
We welcome everyone’s participation in our Sudan/South Sudan Symposium either in person or online through our new website that will try and provide the most up-to-date information available on the two Sudans. Accordingly, we urge you to register online to attend and to participate in our Symposium. We also urge you to stay actively involved with these pressing issues and concerns by regularly visiting our website and engaging in ongoing discussions, blogs, and other interactive features of our new website.
1 The UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency, “Sudanese Lost Boy Returns Home Bearing Gifts,” News Stories, February 18, 2013, www.unhcr.org/51223e209.html, (accessed June 7, 2013)
2 Southern Sudan Referendum 2001, 1.17% unity, 98.83% independence, http://southernsudan2011.com/ (accessed June 22, 2013)
3 UNHCR Press Release, “Global Trends Report: New UNHCR report says global forced displacement at an 18-year high,” Geneva, June 19, 2013,
www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendocPDFViewer.html?docid=51b9ba826&query=2013%20Global%20Trends%20Report4 The Sudan Consortium, “Local communities document deliberate targeting of civilians through aerial bombardment in Southern Kordofan,” 23 May 2013, http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0117875782648cffccbeceb43&id=5049a3befb&e=5d1130264e. (accessed June 7, 2013)
5 For the Global Collaboration Centre (GLOCOL) see the following website, www.glocol.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/ and for the Max Planck Institute in Comparative Public Law and International Law see www.mpil.de/en/pub/news.cfm. (accessed June 22, 2013)