GOAL shares insights from the frontline in Sudan to Ireland’s Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

Jennifer Farrelly, CEO of GOAL Global appealed to the Irish Government in her Opening Statement to:

• Intensify diplomatic engagement towards an urgent peaceful resolution: We ask Ireland to utilise every available platform including the EU Council, UN fora, and regional dialogues to advocate for an urgent peaceful resolution to the end of the conflict in Sudan.
• Champion protection and access: We must use Ireland’s diplomatic voice to urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and aid workers, and guarantee safe, unhindered humanitarian access, including secure corridors to and from besieged areas such as El Fasher.
• Resource the response: Increase flexible, multi-year funding for humanitarian programmes in Sudan, prioritising health system support, nutrition, WASH, and protection. Invest in local health authorities, women’s groups, and civil society partners. Strengthening these systems aligns with Irish Aid and GOAL’s long-standing commitment to partnership, systems thinking, and adaptive management, and is essential to ensuring communities can withstand further shocks and recover.

On Sudan’s conflict GOAL’s CEO Jennifer Farrelly said,

“Sudan is experiencing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies. Access to basic services has collapsed, markets have been disrupted or destroyed, and the price of staple foods has risen far beyond the reach of ordinary families.”

“Inside Sudan, the human toll is staggering. In El Fasher alone, credible estimates suggest that at least 60,000 people have been killed in the past month and as many as 150,000 remain unaccounted for – families who are not believed to have left the city. Many of our Sudanese colleagues are providing assistance while waiting for news of their own loved ones.”

Jennifer Farrelly spoke of what GOAL Global is doing on the ground,

“GOAL has been able to respond quickly thanks to funding from the EU and in our operational areas thanks to adaptive management and close collaboration with Irish Aid under the Irish Civil Society Partnership. When famine risks escalated in South Kordofan and North Darfur, Irish Aid approved a rapid Business Case that enabled us to pivot from longer-term programming to lifesaving action through the Emergency Response Rooms – a Nobel Peace Prize–nominated, community-led structure rooted in Sudanese traditions of neighbourhood solidarity. Through the Emergency Response Rooms, GOAL helped provide daily meals to thousands of people at a moment of acute hunger and displacement, strengthening locally led action when Sudanese responders were carrying a disproportionate share of the burden.”

Sudan’s crisis is vast, complex, and profoundly human. Behind every statistic are families who have lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones – and yet continue to show courage and solidarity. GOAL has stood alongside communities in Sudan for over 35 years delivering lifesaving programmes and will continue to advocate for a peaceful resolution to end the conflict in Sudan.