UN Environment in Sudan and partners organize the “Derma Conference” to help facilitate dialogue over shared natural resources to promote equitable use and management. The people of Derma in the northernmost stretch of the Wadi El Ku project area, near the capital, El Fasher town, were displaced due to conflict. Displaced farmers abandoned their natural resources, losing their means of making a living. Village markets, where cereals and produce would normally be found, were deserted and trade suffered. This put a strain on pastoralist communities living as well.

The Darfur region of Sudan has experienced, over the last half century, rapid population growth, periodic drought and a cycle of conflict that has displaced millions from their villages, many of whom now live in Internally Displaced Person camps near towns – putting pressure on the region's already strained natural environment. Since competition over resources has contributed to conflict in the first place, worsening the natural environment so many depend on is neither sustainable nor supportive of recovery and peace.

Transformations in one woman's life - Um Ayman.

In this video, UN Environment shows how communities in Darfur are at the heart of defining key resource issues and development priorities. In the path to recovery, planning that is community driven promotes healthy relationships because it helps people define their shared needs through processes of consultation – a process that brings people together, creating a space for conversation and connection. It also creates an atmosphere where people all feel they are involved and have the opportunity to benefit.