This publication, prepared by "Partners in Development Services", is part of the background material for the The Oslo Governance Forum (OGF).

The OGF took place on 3-5 October 2011, and was organised by the UNDP’s  Democratic Governance Group in collaboration with United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), ActionAid, ACT Alliance, World Bank Institute and PRIA Global Partnership. The Forum focused on participatory governance assessments and social accountability as means for strengthening democratic governance at the national and international level.

This study is commissioned under the UNDP Project “Enhancing Livelihood Opportunities and Building Social Capital for New Livelihood Strategies in  Darfur”.  The project seeks to support “foundational activities” for the rebuilding of livelihoods of Darfurian communities. The objectives of the study are to map the profiles and experiences of CSOs involved in livelihood issues in Darfur region, to assess the capacities of these structures and to recommend areas of interventions for capacity development of CSOs in Darfur. The study was based on a highly participatory, consultative and cross learning approach using individual and group interviews, consultation workshops, and questionnaires; this is besides a rigorous desk review of available secondary data. The initial consultative workshop held with Darfur CSOs based in  Khartoum and participation in the training workshops for CSOs in Nyala, organized by OCHA, proved very valuable for informing the study and sharpening of understanding about CSOs in Darfur.