This report of the evaluation of donor support to conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities in Southern Sudan comes at a critical juncture in the history of Sudan. The 2011 referendum on the future of the region is the promise given to the citizens of Southern Sudan as part of the historic peace agreement of 2005. The report was prepared during the lead up to the referendum.
The present evaluation examines the international community’s efforts to support conflict mitigation and peacebuilding as well as to provide immediate peace dividends to the Southern Sudanese people in the period following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005. By assessing the extent of progress made and pointing out the factors driving success or failure, the evaluation aims to provide an input into ongoing discussions, future policies and strategies on how to possibly improve the relevance, effectiveness and impact of international engagement in peacebuilding processes in Southern Sudan. By their nature evaluations are backward and forward looking, providing accountability and suggesting lessons for future actions. In looking forward this particular evaluation draws on the period 2005 – 2010 in order to inform future donor policies and strategies as Southern Sudan enters a new era.
The evaluation throws light on the ways in which donors’ policies, funding strategies, and structures have been motivated and shaped by the challenges posed by the political and operational environment in Southern Sudan. It also examines how policies, strategies and operations have been influenced by donors’ commitments to international agreements to harmonise, coordinate and align interventions in fragile situations.
The evaluation was commissioned in October 2009 to ITAD Ltd. (United Kingdom) in association with Channel Research (Belgium) following international competitive bidding. The Evaluation Team consisted of independent international and Sudanese evaluators and researchers with extensive experience in complex conflict and peacebuilding contexts including Southern Sudan.
