This factsheet provides an overview of gender concerns and the status of women in Sudan. It covers a range of issues including women's lack of control over agricultural resources, despite their role in food security; women's/girl's low levels of literacy and poor enrolment rates in education; low overall levels of female labour force participation (with some notable increases in the number of female professionals, including physicians and lawyers); high levels of maternal mortality and low levels of contraceptive use, including growing concerns about HIV/AIDS; low levels of women's participation in decision-making processes; and the persistence of gender discrimination, despite the existence of government policies and the establishment of a national gender machinery. Sudan has not ratified the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), where issues related to gender are still viewed by some policymakers as negative and associated with western feminist movements. Critical issues for the government to address in its National Plan for the Advancement for Women include improved educational services for women, an increase in financials services targeted at women, and integrating issues of human rights into educational curricula.