Managing Uncertainty in Local-International Partnerships: Northeast Nigeria and South Sudan

This report examines partnerships between international NGOs (INGOs) and local/national NGOs (L/NNGOs) in two complex, conflict-driven emergencies: Nigeria and South Sudan.

It presents case studies that are one component of InterAction’s Risk II: Local Actor Partnerships project – an 18-month research study funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). The study involves 10 participating international NGOs (INGOs) and is a part of InterAction’s continuing work on organizational risk awareness and responsiveness. This report assesses the risk landscape; the real and perceived risks in local partnerships; and how existing structures, practices, and perceptions hinder or enable effective risk management and mitigation. Its analysis seeks to shed light on how and to what extent INGOs and L/NNGOs effectively assess and manage risk in their approaches to partnering, and how external factors create unintended consequences.

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