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Investment & Legal Framework
co-founded the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
on 25th May 1963. Sudan is also a founding mem-
ber of the Organization of the Islamic Countries
on 25th September 1969. Sudan is also a pioneer
member of the Non-Aligned Movement 1955 (on
the eve of Sudan Independence).
In 1986, Sudan initiated and organized with its East
Africa sisterly countries “The Intergovernmental
Authority on Drought and Desertification (IGADD)”.
This was later revitalized and transformed into
“the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD) in 1996, comprising seven states namely:
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan
and Uganda.
Sudan has joined its Eastern, Central and South-
ern Africa sisterly states to establish “The Com-
mon Market for Eastern and Southern African
– COMESA” in 1993 replacing the PTA organiza-
tion. COMESA presently comprises twenty African
member States.
On February 1998, Sudan co-founded, with five
other sisterly African nations, “The Community of
Sahel- Saharan States- (CEN-SAD)’’. This commu-
nity was established in Tripoli, Libya by the Leader
and Heads of state of: The Great Socialist People’s
Libyan Jamahiriya, The Republic of the Sudan, The
Republic of Chad, The Republic of Mali, The Re-
public of Niger, Burkina Faso
Later: the Republic of Central Africa, State of Eri-
trea, The Republic of Senegal, the Republic of the
Gambia, the Republic of Djibouti, joined the Com-
munity.
The Community’s summit meeting in Khartoum
(February 2001) approved the admission of five
African states which had applied for membership.
They are: the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Tunisia, the
Republic of Morocco and the Republic of Somalia.
Thus, the membership of the CEN-SAD was conse-
quently boosted from 11 to 16 African states.
On 15th January 2001, the OAU declared Sudan as
the eighth member of OAU to deposit instruments
of Ratification of the Constitutive Act of the African
Union, which was adopted by the OAU summit
Conference in Lome, Togo on July 2000.
Sudan hosted in Dec 1998 (The First OAU Minis-
terial Meeting on Refugees, Returnees and Dis-
placed Persons in Africa) which was attended by all
member states of the OAU.
In November.2000 Sudan hosted the 8th summit of
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development –
IGAD. Consequently, the President of the Republic
of the Sudan, H.E Omer Hassan Ahmed AL Bashir,
has assumed the chairmanship of the IGAD Assem-
bly of heads of State and Government. Sudan, in
February 2001, has also assumed the chairman-
ship of the Presidency Council of the Community
of the Sahel-Saharan States upon convening of the
Summit Conference in Khartoum.
It is noteworthy that Sudan’s pioneering role in Af-
rica and Arab countries’ liberation and nationalism
building processes is definitively deeply rooted and
conspicuous. The assistance given by Sudan to Af-
rican and Arab as well as to other friendly countries
remains a glorious chapter of sacrifice and altruism.
On Africa–Arab cooperation, Sudan’s role has been
a distinguished and leading one. In 1973 Arab and
African nations realized the imperative for the insti-
tutionalization of their highly needed genuine coop-
eration they have chosen Khartoum to be the seat
for the first cherished institution, which is (The Arab
Bank for Economic Development in Africa).
Sudan has been establishing bilateral relations with
its brotherly and friendly countries in accordance
with Vienna and other Conventions.
Presently, Sudan has sent more than sixty Diplo-
matic and Consular Missions to different brotherly
and friendly countries as well as to International
and Regional Organizations.
Likewise, Sudan is currently receiving above fifty
Resident Diplomatic and Consular Missions and
nearly twenty Non-Resident Diplomatic Missions. It
is hosting Headquarters of eight regional and sub-
regional Governmental Organizations / Institutions.
Besides it hosts missions of twelve UN Specialized
Agencies and International Organizations.
Sudan, is the head of six international non-Gov-
ernmental Organizations as well as hosting above
seventy Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations
mainly from Europe, America and Asia.
WTO
Sudan applied for membership in 1995. It submit-
ted its memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime
some 4 years later in 1999, and replies to a first set
of questions on the memorandum were received in