To implement the National Strategy for Older Persons (2025–2030) they prepared, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in the Sudan (HRSD) with the technical support of ESCWA, has begun preparing an executive plan. This plan establishes a multi-sectoral framework to execute the strategy's pillars and goals by identifying priority programmes and activities, implementation and monitoring mechanisms, the roles of relevant entities, and ways to enhance coordination and integration among them, contributing to improving the conditions of older persons and responding to their needs.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry and ESCWA held a workshop in Port Sudan, the Sudan, on 23 and 24 September to lay the initial foundations for the strategy's executive action plan, based on a participatory approach that brought together various stakeholders and relied on the exchange of expertise, knowledge, and available evidence.
Estimates indicate that the number of older persons in the country will rise from about 1.8 million people in 2026 (3.5% of the population) to about 4.5 million people by 2050 (5.3% of the total population). The Sudan is expected to enter the demographic transition towards an ageing population as of 2060.
The workshop was attended by representatives from departments concerned with older persons' issues at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare, alongside partner government ministries and institutions involved in implementing the strategy. After reviewing the strategy's pillars and objectives, they proposed the operational activities and measures necessary to achieve its goals, discussing their feasibility and practical application to ensure they respond to the needs of older persons.
