Urban Recovery in Sudan: Strengthening Communities Amid Displacement in Port Sudan

In the face of ongoing displacement and rising urban vulnerability, a joint initiative by UN-Habitat and UNHCR, with support from the Peace Building Fund, are helping Port Sudan chart a new path toward peace and stability. Launched in August 2024 and running through December 2025, this project in Port Sudan adopts a peacebuilding approach rooted in community engagement, data-driven planning, and institutional capacity-building to foster sustainable solutions for both internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities.  

Laying the Foundations for Peace and Resilience in Port Sudan

At its core, the initiative promotes inclusive dialogue, empowers communities in taking ownership and co-creating solutions, and strengthens the ability of local authorities to lead the plan for a more resilient urban future. A key focus has been promoting cohesion between host communities and IDPs through participatory processes that address social tensions and foster cohesion. 

A People-Centered and Data-Driven Approach

A comprehensive spatial vulnerability assessment was conducted across Port Sudan’s neighborhoods to provide clear, actionable insights for stakeholders. By interviewing 78 key actors — including government officials, community leaders, and civil society organizations — the project identified and mapped six of the most vulnerable neighborhoods and then used a community-based GIS approach to spatially map four of them, prioritizing these areas for further support based on detailed urban indicators. 

This exercise builds on UN-Habitat’s Urban Recovery Framework and its urban profiling tool, customized to Sudan’s context, to ensure that interventions are evidence-based and responsive to the complex realities on the ground—particularly in areas marked by fragile inter-communal dynamics and significant displacement-related pressures.

Empowering Communities through Participation

Through a strong community-based approach, the project facilitated consultations in the most affected neighborhoods. UN-Habitat, UNHCR, and implementing partners JASMAR and RCDO organized participatory workshops and planning sessions that brought together over 90 stakeholders — from local authorities to community representatives. Together, they co-developed action plans and identified community support projects tailored to local needs. The project team has brought communities to the center—holding four consultation sessions, creating detailed neighborhood profiles, and launching four support projects, one in each neighborhood. 

This participatory process ensured that residents had a direct voice in shaping the future of their neighborhoods, helping to build trust and ownership at every step. 

Building Technical Capacity for Long-Term Resilience

To strengthen local urban governance, the project established a Core Technical Team composed of 31 staff members from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development (MoIUD) — 13 women and 18 men. This team received specialized training in geospatial mapping, urban profiling, and spatial planning through a 5-day intensive workshop using the Rapid Urban Sectoral Profiling for Sustainability (RUSPS) tool. 

Importantly, the inclusion of 42% female participants in the technical training underscores the project's commitment to gender empowerment and the meaningful participation of women in urban development processes.

Voices from the Field

— Iman Mohammed Ali, Directorate of Roads and Bridges

"A critical and persistent urban challenge we face is inadequate surface drainage infrastructure. The influx of IDPs and relocation of National Government functions to Port Sudan have stretched our capacity, increased environmental hazards, and intensified disease vectors.. We urgently need integrated urban analysis and planning — we can no longer afford to work in silos."

 — Amal Ahmed Abdallah, Directorate of Urban Planning

"With rapid urbanization and overstretched services, we lack the tools and training to plan effectively. Without digital records, we can’t analyze data or improve our processes. This project’s tools and capacity-building efforts are a game-changer for sustainable urban planning."