Switzerland and the United Nations held their sixth Sudan peace consultation in Geneva on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as nearly 34 million people in Sudan needed humanitarian assistance as of May 2026.
Swiss State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Alexandre Fasel said civilians must be protected and aid deliveries must proceed regardless of progress in ceasefire or political talks. Citing the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), he said nearly 34 million people in Sudan needed assistance as of May 2026. He also cited United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) figures showing eight million Sudanese children were out of school.
The one-day peace consultation followed a separate preparatory discussion Tuesday, Oct. 20, about humanitarian conditions. Switzerland organized Wednesday’s meeting with Pekka Haavisto, the U.N. secretary-general’s personal envoy for Sudan.
Switzerland said ahead of the meeting that it expected representatives from Sudan’s neighboring countries, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the African Union, the European Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the League of Arab States. The notice described expected participation rather than confirmed attendance.
Haavisto said the meeting would examine ways to ease fighting and move toward a ceasefire, along with political dialogue led by Sudanese people. His remarks set out the meeting’s intended agenda.
Switzerland and the United Nations had announced plans to convene mediators without Sudan’s warring parties. The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have fought since April 2023. The consultative process began in June 2024 to coordinate separate peace initiatives.
Haavisto said he intended to convene the Sudan Consultative Group every three months.
