A two-day donor conference on Sudan has ended with a pledge of $3.6 billion for the reconstruction of the country’s capital, Darfur.

The amount, which will be paid over six years, will be devoted mainly to the development and reconstruction of the Darfur region.

The event which brought together about 400 participants from both bilateral and multilateral donors ended April 8, 2013 in Doha, Qatar.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB) who is one of the key donors supporting the event, it took the lead in assessing infrastructure needs in Darfur, together with the World Bank and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The AfDB stated that the Darfur Development Strategy (DDS), which was the background document for the Conference, had estimated that about $7.2 billion, would be required to support Darfur’s reconstruction and development needs over the next six years.

It says Sudan had pledged to cover $2.6 billion out of the amount, while donors (bilateral and multilaterals) were expected to bridge the gap of $4.6 billion.

According to the DDS, about $177 million would immediately be required for foundational activities.  The three overarching Pillars of the DDS are Governance, Justice and Reconciliation ($0.84 billion); Reconstruction ($ 5 billion); and Economic Recovery ($1.4 billion).

The conference was a platform for donors to discuss the road-map for the implementation of Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) signed in 2011.