The New Dawn Charter

Preamble WHEREAS the Sudanese people have aspired for long to bring together all the patriotic forces committed to our fundamental goal to build an independent, united, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Sudan, it is our duty and destiny to answer the national. The National Consensus Forces and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, various Women and Youth groups and Civic Society organisations have joined hands to take our country and our people forward to the threshold of true democracy, just peace in a state founded on equal citizenship and total guarantee of basic freedoms and respect for human rights. WHEREAS the so - called Islamic regime of the National Congress Party has taken over power by force and deception toppling a democratically elected government to establish in place a theocratic tyranny , The New Dawn Charter emphasizes our commitment to restore authority to the people on equal footing regardless of race , religion , culture , creed or gender. We reiterate our obligation to rescue the country from the prevailing internal divisions and splits, ethnic and tribal conflicts, regional and international isolation and undertake to treat its social wounds and heal its political and economic misery. We, the parties undersigned, declare in categorical and unreserved terms the following: Principles and Aims 1- National Identity Sudan is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-linguistic country. The singular unifying identity shall be founded on a blended integration of all the countrys unique characteristics and its rich cultural diversity that goes back in history to 7000 years. 2- Governance

Sudan is a federal democratic multi-cultural entity committed to the equal rights of all citizens. The people are the supreme source of authority, and citizenship is the guarantor of the freedom of both the individual and the group. 3- The State and Religion Whereas the New Dawn Charter is calling for democratic revival of the country, we shall enact a constitution and initiate laws that uphold equality and basic freedoms. The laws shall firmly proscribe, out of sincere esteem to the sanctity of religious beliefs, the manipulation of religion for political interests. 4- International Conventions The state shall subscribe to the International Conventions especially those pertaining to the Rights of Women, Children and Minorities. 5- Justice and Accountability The maintenance of Justice and Accountability, including the enforcement of fairness and the rule of law in the interim period, shall remain of paramount importance. It is necessary as well as prudent to collate the native wisdom and traditions in the service of justice and social redress and pacification. However it is vital to put an end to the disgraceful practice of the defunct NCP regime of evading prosecution for serious crimes of war, genocide ,crimes against humanity ,corruption , embezzlement ,abuse of authority.. Etc. 6- The Transitional Constitution The interim administration shall be guided by a democratic constitutional tool that upholds the pillars of peace, justice and popular welfare. 7- Authority and Wealth Whereas equality of all citizens shall prevail, the balanced sharing and spread of authority together with the fair distribution of the national shall be guaranteed. In addition to that special consideration shall be given to regions ravaged by war and areas less developed in the past. 8- Transformation of State Institutions The national character, the multi ethnic composition and the professional capability and integrity of the various security forces and state services shall be one of the urgent tasks. 9- The Judiciary

The INTERIM Government shall restore and preserve the independence, integrity and professionalism of the judiciary. This goes also for the civil service, the national media and information bodies and institutions of higher education. 10- Relations with Neighbouring States Peaceful co-existence and co-operation shall serve best the mutual interests of Sudan and its neighbours in peace, stability and development. 11- Rights of Women Empowering women politically, socially and economically is due to their inalienable right to equality and in acknowledgement for their longstanding struggle and immense sacrifices in the face of harmful practices and customs, the systematic abuse, prejudice and unspeakable atrocities committed by elements of the NRC regime. 12- Basic Rights and Liberties Foster all the basic rights and liberties and recommit our country to all the International and Regional Declarations in this regard. Any law, order or clause in the transitional constitutional document that contradicts the international or regional stipulation shall be annulled as void and nonconstitutional. 13- The State shall recognise and respect the plurality of religious beliefs and traditional creeds in the country and shall commit itself to promoting understanding and interaction within the communities. The State shall not tolerate the instigation of religious phobia or racial prejudice in the society 14- The permanent constitution shall proscribe the use of military force or violence in order to undermine the political process or to topple the democratically elected government. Tasks for the Transitional Period ** Whereas the national forces for change shall sanction a constitution to govern the interim stage of FOUR years, it is

their duty to form a government of national unity representative of the groups allied to the New Dawn Charter. ** The; levels of government during the interim period are four: Federal, Regional, State and Local. ** Khartoum, with its existing administrative boundaries is the National Capital, seat of the Federal administration and symbol of Sudans national unity and homogeneous togetherness. ** The Federal System, put in place, shall comprise the following EIGHT regions; 1- Khartoum 2- Eastern 3- Darfur 4- Kordofan 5- South Kordofan ( Nuba mountains) 6-Blue Nile 7- Northern 8- Central. ** The higher authorities of the transitional administration are ; # Legislative Assembly # Presidency # Council of Ministers # Judiciary a- The Transitional Legislative Assembly representing all the national forces of change shall oversee the performance of the Executive Administration during the interim period. However, women shall make no less than 30 percent of its membership. b- The Transitional Presidency Whereas the Presidency manifests the national sovereignty, it shall incorporate the offices of President of the Republic and Deputies who are the Regional Governors plus one woman at least. c- Transitional Council of Ministers

d- The Council of Ministers shall be representative of the forces for national change and shall allocate no less than 30% of its seats to women. Whereas the prudent management of the economy is the more crucial than ever, the Central Government shall be trimmed to the lowest possible form. Judiciary The new Judicial System shall be re reconstituted over the discredited judiciary of the defunct regime. The independence, integrity and competence of the system and its operators shall be firmly prescribed. The new system shall define in clear terms the heinous crimes of genocide, crimes of war and those committed against humanity and bring the perpetrators to court without delay or impunity. The Duties of the Transitional Administration shall include an immediate declaration of ceasefire for a speedy restoration of peace and stability all over the country. Lifting the state of emergency is accompanied by the release of prisoners of war, political detainees and a genuine process for national reconciliation. A national commission shall be appointed to supervise the reconstitution of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Organisation on sheer patriotic and professional grounds with the immediate dissolution of the so called popular defence forces and all the militias of the deposed regime. The armed forces shall recommit themselves to their lawful duties of upholding the national sovereignty and guarding the security of the country and its people. They shall refrain from the involvement in party politics and the internal power struggle. Attending to War Ravaged Areas Whereas the bloody conflicts between the marginalized regions of (Darfur, Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile and Eastern Sudan in particular and the central government in Khartoum have been going on for years , its a priority on the part of the Transitional Administration to stop the fighting and undertake a drastic

solution within a comprehensive settlement of the national crisis. The resolution shall admit to healing the wounds of ethnic cleansing, economic and social neglect and degradation of the past. Adequate arrangements to be made to return grabbed land to its lawful owners, as well as the repatriation of the internally displaced inhabitants and refugees. 4. The Economy and Development: Whereas the country has been saddled with more than two decades of impoverishment, wastefulness and corruption the need and urgency for all-round reform cannot be overemphasized. The immediate economic programme shall undertake to avoid the imminent economic collapse and draw up plans for curbing unnecessary spending, judicious controls to set the ground for sustainable development. High in planning shall be the remedial structuring of the banking industry including its so-called Islamization, the troubled currency markets in order to inject purpose and stability in the financial system. Reform policies shall prioritize the restructuring of the big national projects and services such as the Gezira Scheme, Sudan Railways, Sudan Shipping Lines, Dams and irrigation constructions etc. The revival tasks shall include agricultural and animal production as well as the mining and oil production sectors. Relief from Foreign Debt The rebuilding of relations with the donor countries and the International Monetary Fund and other World Financial agencies on open-minded and truthful basis shall help in no small measure to support Sudans appeal for foreign debt relief and international aid and attract investments into the national economy. The Transitional Administration shall address with urgency and vigour the rising level of poverty in the society coupled with the impact of the global economic crisis by mobilising national resources and seeking short-term emergency support and concessional loans from the IMF and Aid agencies.

Affirmative Action In the interest of correcting the wrongs of the past, programmes of the Affirmative action are to be pursued. In this respect policies inclined towards positive discrimination in favour of marginalised areas or underrepresented groups shall be adopted. Such campaign shall entail Embarking on economic and social partnerships between states and private sectors, between farmers and herders between settlers and nomads as well as between Sudan and its neighbours particularly South Sudan. 5. The Public services: Education: Education as a strategy, philosophy and instrument for social ,cultural and economic development shall be geared towards solving the problems implanted by the dogmatic regime of the NCP and initiate the reforms required to achieve the future objectives of the country. The first steps in this regard are Universal Free Primary Education. Education shall develop the right curriculum that encourages learning with drive and ambition, self-esteem, and confidence. Shall promise to foster peace and unity in diversity and equality, uphold freedom of belief and thought and respect for human rights. It shall spurn ethnic bias, religious militancy and suspicion of foreign knowledge and culture. The educational system shall be fully democratized and offer ample opportunities for individual excellence, invention and development of vocational and technical skills through professional training and advancement. Closing the gap between the sexes and the ages through promoting Coeducation an Adult learning within a well-schemed and secured framework.

 The educational authority shall evolve plans to improve higher education through expert scholarly recommendations from within and from abroad. The system shall consider the provision of qualified teachers in all levels of learning and improve their employment conditions, in-service training and the schools environment. Health: Whereas the health services have been under severe administrative neglect and lack of funding and attention the Transitional Government shall bear the immediate tasks of increasing the budget to affect Primary health care. As it goes prevention is better than cure the prime focus shall be on infants, children and mothers. The renovation of hospitals, medical centres, local health clinics as well as the provision of trained health officers and nurses in the rural areas, by the side of midwives and the so-called barefoot doctors. The authorities shall leave no stone unturned in expanding the campaign to eradicate indigenous and contagious diseases. On top of that there is great need for preventive health, emergency and lifesaving departments, skilled cadres, effective equipments and adequate materials. The Environment: The Transitional Administration shall live up to the expectations of its citizens for a safe and healthy environment. The adopted strategy shall underline the International Communitys set goals for the world environment in the 3rd millennium. A major task shall be to combat shortages of clean water, desert encroachment, and occasional bouts of drought and food shortages by enforcing the efficient policies and adopting the necessary regulations. 6. Specialized commissions: During the interim period, the Administration shall appoint independent and fully accredited commissions for such missions as the National Commission for Human Rights, for Security Arrangements Commission, for Repatriation of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees , for Law and Justice

to endorse international statutes and conventions including the International Criminal Court , to ratify International and Regional treaties and agreements that criminalize genocide , torture ,arbitrary detention etc , Land Reforms , and Commission for Justice and Accountability , Census and Electoral Reforms ...etc 9. Accountability and Transitional Justice: The fair trial for those who committed serious crimes of human rights abuses, corruption, looting or plundering public property and dues. Adequate compensation morally and materially to the victims of genocide, torture, unlawful detention, displacement, confiscation of property unlawful dismissal from work etc. Encourage the culture of individual, communal and national reconciliation in line with the Sudanese traditions in the interest of opening a new page of peace, harmony and togetherness in the society. 13. Foreign relations: The Transitional Government shall foster a balanced and levelheaded foreign policy as the most effective means of serving the higher political, economic and security interests of the country. This shall put an end to decades of confrontation with a number of countries near and far and isolation in the international community. Needless to mention that the Head of the regime and an number of his aides are wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes of war. The Administration, while firm on our national sovereignty and integrity, shall give unqualified commitment and co-operation with the United Nations, the African Union and Arab League to uphold achieve regional and international peace that boost chances of mutual and multiple cooperation. In this regard, we shall work hand in hand with the government of South Sudan to resolve all the outstanding issues of land and borders, oil export , trade and cultural agreements , freedom of movement to push forward both parties towards economic and social integration, and eventually to restore unity on new basis.