Strength in Numbers: A Review Of NGO Coordination in the Field - Case Study: South Sudan 1996-2010

Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) was established in 1989 as the umbrella operation for UN agencies and international NGOs (INGOs) working in Southern Sudan. From 1990 UN coordination filled the gap left by the absence of the Sudanese government, based on Letters of Association with INGO operational partners. NGOs were clearly unequal partners under the tripartite agreement between UN, Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and the political bias of the UN became increasingly problematic for INGOs. The Southern Sudan NGO Forum was created in 1996 to bring together INGOs associated with OLS to discuss common issues around programming, access and delivery of aid.
Initially the Forum met on a monthly basis in Nairobi, and was represented to UN and donors by an elected Steering Committee of seven to eight NGOs; over time, Forum membership expanded to include non-OLS international NGOs and local NGOs. Through the Forum, the NGO community could present a collective position, although the distinction between OLS and non-OLS NGOs continued to undermine these efforts. However the Forum did create opportunities for NGOs to influence important initiatives such as the Joint Assessment Mission, the year-long UN-World Bank assessment of post-conflict recovery and development needs.