TABLE OF CONTENTS `

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ...... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 3 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 5 2. PROJECT RATIONALE ...... 6 3. ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES ...... 6 4. METHODOLOGY AND SCOPE OF THE ASSESSMENT ...... 7 5. FINDINGS ...... 9 5.1 Recruitment and Deployment of Civil Service Support Officers ...... 9 5.2 ‘Twinning’ as a Capacity Building Strategy and Sustainable Transfer of Knowledge ...... 13 5.3 Challenges to Twinning and Transfer of Knowledge ...... 21 5.4 Supervision, Coordination and Management ...... 28 5.5 Wellbeing and Security of CSSOs ...... 30 6 CONCLUSIONS ...... 31 7. RECOMMENDATIONS AND WAY FORWARD ...... 34 APPENDICES ...... 37 1. CSSO Professions (Total Number of CSSOs)...... 37 2. Government Grading Structure in South ...... 38 3. Professions of Twins ...... 39 4. Professions of Supervisors ...... 40 5. RSS/IGAD Project Output Objectives ...... 41 Annual Work plan (Year 1): September 2010 to August 2011 ...... 41 6. RSS/IGAD Organizational Structure ...... 43 7. Additional Case Studies of CSSO Achievements ...... 44

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ACRONYMS

CES Central State CME Continual Medical Education CPAP Country Programme Action Plan CSSO Civil Service Support Officer CTA Consolidated Technical Allowance DG Director General DSA Daily Subsistence Allowance EES State FGD Focus Group Discussion GRSS Government of the Republic of ICT Information and Communications Technology IGAD The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development IT Information Technology MoARF Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries MoFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation MoFEP Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning MoH Ministry of Health MoHPP Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning MoI Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Investment MoIB Ministry of Information and Broadcasting MoLPS&HRD Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development MoPA Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs MoPM Ministry of Petroleum and Mining MoU Memorandum of Understanding MoWR Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation NBG State PEB Project Executive Board PMU Project Management Unit QMS Quality Management System RCPI Rapid Capacity Placement Initiative RSS Republic of South Sudan SME Small and Medium Sized Entrepreneurs SOP Standard Operating Procedures SSDP South Sudan Development Plan UN United Nations UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNMISS United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan WBGS State WES State

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Republic of South Sudan/Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (RSS/IGAD) Project is a capacity enhancement initiative in South Sudan. The Project promotes regional collaboration and South-South linkages through the placement of 200 qualified Civil Service Support Officers (CSSOs) from , and within RSS institutions. The Project employs a unique method for long-term institutional capacity development and transfer of knowledge to South Sudanese civil servants known as ‘twinning’. It is a strategy that pairs a CSSO with a South Sudanese counterpart to facilitate on-the-job mentoring and coaching for two years. Project implementation began in September 2010. Between June 2011 and April 2012, 164 CSSOs (82%) were successfully deployed within 19 government institutions at the national and state levels. This included 16 ministries, 15 public hospitals, the National Legislative Assembly, the Council of States, and the South Sudan HIV/AIDS Commission.

UNDP conducted an internal mid-term assessment of the Project between May and July 2012, which covered the end of the first year of deployment for the first group of 46 Kenyan CSSOs. The assessment confirmed that twinning has been an effective strategy for capacity building, particularly in the post-conflict context of South Sudan where there is a significant lack of expertise and qualified human resources within government institutions. Feedback received suggests that on-the-job coaching and mentoring is a valuable learning tool for civil servants with low academic and practical experience. The method addresses capacity gaps by focusing on practical experience and a hands-on approach. However, successful twinning has not been applied uniformly across all institutions and roughly 13% of CSSOs do not have a twin, or are not twinned with an adequate partner.

Government stakeholders stated that the performance of institutions has improved due to increased levels of learning, motivation and a positive attitude towards service delivery since the arrival of CSSOs. CSSOs have also played a key role in developing institutional strategic plans. At the policy level, CSSOs contribute to institutional capacity development by drafting policy frameworks for labour inspections, drafting and reviewing laws for the National Legislative Assembly and training staff in the implementation of a new National Pensions Scheme. Key results within participating government institutions are improvements in basic administrative systems, standard operating procedures and quality management systems. Coaching and mentoring in areas of records management, accounting and bookkeeping, infection prevention practices in hospitals, and systematic documentation of institutional activities are at the core of CSSO activities. CSSOs have initiated and engaged in national and inter-state task force teams that focus on improving ministry performance through standardized procedures, budgeting and strategic planning. These results are indicative of significant levels of civil service reform and strengthening of capacity within institutions where CSSOs have been deployed.

At the implementation level, the twinning process has had to contend with several challenges, particularly with regard to inadequate twinning and sustainability i.e. institutionalizing the transfer of knowledge. For example, the survey revealed that roughly 26% of the twins were

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan simultaneously also supervisors of the CSSOs, which creates a conflict of interest in terms of performance assessments and leave monitoring of CSSOs.

Government austerity measures throughout 2012 coupled with high staff turnover and a lack of institutional strategic plans and work plans for the implementation of government activities has caused considerable strain on effective coaching and mentoring. The mid-term assessment also revealed that the level of government ownership- through engagement in Project monitoring, evaluation and coordination- amongst mid-level managers at the institutional level was fairly weak. There was a general lack of awareness of Project objectives within receiving institutions, and CSSOs were often seen as additional workforce rather than coaches and mentors. Particularly at the institutional level, the role of supervisors’ vis-à-vis the Project Management Unit (PMU) remains blurred, and implementation guidelines for receiving institutions are not stipulated clearly. In this regard, the Project allows for a great deal of flexibility to CSSOs once they are deployed. The results achieved in civil service reform and strengthening of institutional capacity therefore are subject to the CSSO and the assignments they receive from management within their institutions. This points towards a certain level of government ownership at management level; however, the process is not coordinated nor applied uniformly across all institutions.

Key recommendations for improvement in Project implementation are:

. Strengthening of systematic institutionalization of knowledge transfer through sustainable practices by CSSOs; and developing an exit strategy for CSSOs. . Enhanced communication and coordination between the lead government agency (MoLPS&HRD) and other line ministries at both national and state level. . Involvement of senior and middle-level managers at the institutional level in planning, monitoring, decision making and implementation of the Project. . Improved coordination and management of CSSOs and Project implementation by the PMU and government supervisors.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

1. INTRODUCTION

The RSS/IGAD Project lays the foundation for long-term institutional capacity development by providing mentoring, training and technical expertise in critical sectors such as; public service, finance, health, governance, education, access to justice and rule of law, trade and industry. It addresses all levels of capacity: legal, regulatory, enabling (institutional) environment, work procedures, operational arrangements and skills development (individual level). While the civil servants, designated as Civil Service Support Officers (CSSOs), continue to be employed by and receive salaries from their own government, they are contracted by the Government of the Republic South Sudan and deployed within strategic functions across a total of 19 government ministries, commissions and state-level local government. The CSSOs are ‘twinned’ with South Sudanese civil servants to provide direct transfer of skills and on-the-job training for a two-year period. The MoLPS&HRD leads the initiative and receives both technical and logistical support from UNDP. Funding is made available through the Government of Norway.1

This mid-term assessment provides a detailed account of the RSS/IGAD Project in the first year of CSSO deployment (June 2011 – August 2012): identifying and describing major achievements as well as challenges and recommendations. The Project’s intended output is to: “Strengthen capacities of key government institutions to ensure credible and efficient governance, effective service delivery and strong public administration.”2 This output objective, under the UNDP Country Programme Results and Resource Framework, falls under the Governance pillar and contributes to the achievement of the following outcome: “National/sub-national/state/local- levels of governance expand their capacities to manage equitable delivery of public services.”

The RSS/IGAD Project also directly contributes to the achievement of the revised United Nations Development Assistance Framework in South Sudan (January 2012), Outcome 1: “Core governance and civil service functions are established and operational.”

The recruitment and deployment of CSSOs has been spread over the course of approximately one year due to challenges in the absorption capacity of the South Sudanese Government, as well as staffing shortage in the RSS/IGAD PMU.3 There has been a delay of roughly one year in Project implementation. The Project had not deployed any CSSOs within the first nine months of implementation, and only four out of twelve activities were achieved in the first year.4 Additionally, the Project Manager came on board 16 months after Project implementation had begun. With a total of 164 CSSOs already in their designated workplace, June 2012 marks the first year in which 82% of the 200 CSSOs have effectively been deployed. The remaining 36 CSSOs (Ethiopia 6; Kenya 8; and Uganda 22) will be recruited and deployed during the second

1 Total funding: USD 9.92 million from December 2010 to November 2012. 2See appendix 5 for a detailed results and activity matrix of the RSS/IGAD Project output (year 1) 3See appendix 6: RSS/IGAD organizational structure 4Activities 1.1, 1.2, 3.1 and 3.2: see Appendix 5: Project output activity and results matrix

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

half of 2012. December 2014 will mark the end of phase one of the RSS/IGAD Project; when the last batch of 36 CSSOs complete their two year contract.

2. PROJECT RATIONALE

An efficient and effective public sector depends significantly on the availability of qualified civil servants and their management: how civil servants are recruited, deployed, trained and developed as well as rewarded will have an impact on the development and formation of a successful public service. Emerging from two decades of war, South Sudan is struggling with the largest capacity gap in . Every ministry, state government and spending agency suffers from a debilitating lack of qualified, competent staff. Nearly half of all civil servants in South Sudan have only achieved primary level education.5 The public sector in South Sudan has serious constraints in the availability of qualified personnel in virtually all sectors. This is mainly because a significant number of civil servants are former soldiers who lack the education, skills, and competencies necessary for effective public service delivery. The challenges facing the world’s newest state are overwhelming in both scale and complexity: state structures have only just been established, and delivery systems across all sectors are either absent or dysfunctional.6 In addition, leadership and supervision is inadequate, making it very difficult to obtain reasonable levels of productivity from the existing public service structures.7

3. ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES

In order to effectively address the capacity needs of the South Sudanese Government, the RSS/IGAD Project opts for a strategy that promotes south-south cooperation and regional partnerships between East African countries through the transfer of knowledge and exchange of human resources. Unfortunately, a comprehensive baseline study in the form of an ex-ante capacity needs assessment was not conducted before the implementation of Project activities. As a result, baseline indicators for capacity enhancement were not clearly defined. This mid- term assessment therefore partly serves to identify key indicators for the capacity enhancement of beneficiary institutions and individuals.

This mid-term assessment will serve as a monitoring exercise to the progress of the Project. The assessment analyses three key areas of Project implementation:

1. Twinning and knowledge transfer 2. Management and coordination 3. Results achieved by CSSOs

5UNDAF South Sudan (2012) 6In the public service of South Sudan, institutional work plans and individual performance assessments are rarely utilized. The system is not built on meritocracy, nor are positions formally compromised as a result of underperformance. 7IGAD Project Document (2010)

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

The main objectives of the assessment were to:

• Identify key indicators for capacity enhancement of institutions and twins • Document main implementation challenges, lessons learned and best practices • Provide recommendations for guiding further implementation of the Project

4. METHODOLOGY AND SCOPE OF THE ASSESSMENT

This mid-term assessment is essentially a descriptive study on the perceptions of CSSOs, twins, and supervisors concerning Project implementation and results. Additionally, desk reviews were used to analyse CSSO work plans and progress reports to form case studies and baseline indicators for capacity enhancement and transfer of knowledge. The data collection consisted of both qualitative and quantitative methods:8

. Survey questionnaires . Participant observation . Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)

In the interest of clarity, this report will refer both to a total group of CSSOs and a survey group. The total group refers to CSSOs that have successfully been deployed thus far (164), while the survey group refers to the 137 CSSOs (84% of total group) that have been deployed for longer than six months. The analysis in the findings focuses on the survey group and does not include, therefore, the third batch of 26 Kenyan CSSOs that arrived in April 2012, since three months was too short of a time span to enable results-based reporting on their deployments.

Of a total of 242 questionnaires completed for this mid-term assessment, 121 were from CSSOs, 82 from twins (South Sudanese civil servants being trained by CSSOs) and 39 from government-based supervisors. In the survey group, this constitutes a response rate of 88% for CSSOs, 59% for twins and 82% for supervisors.9 Approximately 40 FGDs were held in all ten states with CSSOs, twins, and supervisors.

A preliminary analysis of the results was made and presented during a stakeholder workshop in June 2012, attended by 100 CSSOs and four government officials from the lead institution (MoLPS&HRD). The results have since been verified by stakeholders, and their feedback has been incorporated in this report. The units of analysis for this study are government ministries in which CSSOs are deployed. The units of observation are:

. CSSOs deployed in government ministries . South Sudanese civil servants (ranging from twins to supervisors and senior officials)

8 Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyse survey data. 9This calculation is based on the idea that there is roughly one supervisor for every three CSSOs, since one directorate or hospital ward for example might host multiple CSSOs. Similarly, the total number of twins is based on the theoretical assumption that each CSSO is mentoring one twin.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

The study focuses on the strengthening of institutional capacity by looking at data collected from CSSOs and South Sudanese civil servants. This mid-term assessment does not give an indication to the impact of the Project on recipients of government services or service delivery in general. However, it does provide a baseline for such an evaluation towards the end of the Project period.

Research Locations

The study was conducted across all ten . It examined 15 ministry institutions and 11 public hospitals located at both the national level () and state levels; four of these hospitals are located at the county level in Lanya, Morobo, Terkeka and Yei () where CSSOs are deployed.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

5. FINDINGS

5.1 Recruitment and Deployment of Civil Service Support Officers10

A total group of 164 CSSOs were successfully deployed across 19 institutions at the state and national level. These include 16 ministries (with an additional 15 public hospitals represented within the Ministry of Health), the National Legislative Assembly, Council of States, and HIV/AIDS Commission.11 One CSSO has since been recalled from South Sudan due to health reasons. By August 2012, 163 CSSOs were actively deployed under the RSS/IGAD Project. This constitutes a deployment success rate of 82% of the targeted 200 CSSOs between June 2011 and April 2012. The table below shows the number and percentage of CSSOs deployed according to location. More than half (57%) work in Juba, roughly two percent work in counties, and 41% are deployed within other state capitals.

Table 1: Number of CSSOs Deployed per State

Location Number Percentage 1.Central Equatoria State (Juba) 94 57 Counties: Terkeka, Lanya, Morobo and Yei 4 2.4 2. Upper () 15 9.1 3. Western Bahr el Ghazal (Wau) 10 6.8 4. Western Equatoria () 9 5.5 5. () 7 4.3 6. Jonglei (Bor) 7 4.3 7. () 6 3.9 8. Eastern Equatoria () 5 3 9. () 3 1.8 10. Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Aweil) 3 1.8 Subtotal 100% (of 163) Total 163 82% (of 200)

From the total group of CSSOs deployed; 71 are Kenyan (44%), 54 are Ethiopian (33%), and 38 are Ugandan (23%). From the total group of 164 CSSOs, 73% are male and 27% are female. Table 2 below shows the division of CSSOs according to expertise. Almost half of the CSSOs are working in the health sector. The main professions within this area are: surgeons, physicians, anaesthetists, nurses, midwives, radiologists, paediatricians, laboratory technicians, and a microbiologist.12 The CSSOs working in the area of human resources are mostly Human Resource Management Officers and Human Resource Development Officers. The CSSOs

10Chapter 5.1 analyses CSSO deployment for the total group of 164 CSSOs. 11The study looks at CSSOs (137) that have been deployed for longer than 6 months. Initially, these CSSOs were deployed across 15 Ministries. With the arrival of the 3rd batch of 26 Kenyans, four new institutions were introduced: Council of States, HIV/AIDS Commission, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Transport. 12See appendix 1 for more detailed account of CSSO professions per case.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

working to strengthen the management of government institutions are mainly Management Analysts and Quality Assurance Officers. In finance, trade, and commerce, CSSO professions include Economists, and Industrial and Trade Development Officers. In urban planning, CSSO professions are Urban Planners, Land Officers, and Architects. The experts in the area of secretarial functions are all Executive Secretaries. In administration and procurement, CSSO professions are Administrative Officers, Records Management Officers and Procurement Officers. Under labour affairs, the CSSOs are Labour Inspectors and Labour Dispute/Industrial Relations Officers. In communications and ICT, CSSOs are Marketing Officers, Public Communication Officers, IT specialists, and one Film Production Officer. There is also an Air Traffic Controller in the Ministry of Transport, a Geologist in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, and four Legal Officers working on law reform and drafting - two at the National Legislative Assembly, and two at the Council of States.

Table 2: Total Number of CSSOs within Grouped Areas of Expertise

Area of Expertise Number of CSSOs Percentage

Technical Health 72 44.3 Human Resources 15 9.2 Management 7 4.3 Secretarial 6 3.7 Urban Planning 8 4.8 Administration and 15 9.2 Procurement Air Traffic Control 1 0.6 Veterinary Lab Technicians 4 2.5 Geology 1 0.6 Communications and ICT 10 6.1

Policy Finance, Trade and Commerce 11 6.6 Labour Affairs 9 5.5 Rule of Law 4 2.6 TOTAL 163 100

Table 3 shows the institutions in which the total number of CSSOs are deployed, and where these are located. Roughly half (46%) work within the Ministry of Health (MoH) and 17% within the MoLPS&HRD. In the states, CSSOs have only been deployed within the MoH and the MoLPS&HRD. The remaining 61 CSSOs (37%) work across various ministries, the South Sudan HIV/AIDS Commission, and the Council of States based in the capital city, Juba.

The majority of CSSOs (57%) are located in Juba. The responsibility for the security of CSSOs lies with the GRSS, and although the capacity deficit is greatest at the county level, inadequate

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan security has prohibited the GRSS from deploying CSSOs there. Inaccessible roads and poor infrastructure coupled with high levels of militia activity throughout the country has meant CSSOs have mainly been deployed in capital cities of states. The only exception is in Central Equatoria where four CSSOs in the health sector have been deployed to public hospitals in Lanya, Morobo, Terkeka and Yei counties. These counties are accessible by road and are in close proximity to Juba, and were therefore deemed acceptable for CSSO deployment by the MoLPS&HRD. Additionally, the rationale behind placing the majority of CSSOs at the national level is because state structures and delivery systems are coordinated centrally through a national system, and it is imperative to develop policies and strategic plans at the centre which will then be rolled-out to the states at the periphery.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

Table 3: Total Number of CSSOs Deployed according to Ministry and Location

National County Eastern Jonglei Upper Unity Lakes Warrap Western Western Northern Total Ministry (Juba) level Equatoria Nile Equatoria Bahr el Bahr el Ghazal Ghazal 1.Ministry of Health 12 4 4 6 14 6 6 2 8 9 3 74 2. MoLPS&HRD 21 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 - 28 3. Ministry of Housing and Physical 10 ------10 Planning 4. Ministry of Commerce, Industry 10 ------10 and Investment 5. Ministry of Information and 6 ------6 Broadcasting 6. Ministry of Animal Resources and 8 ------8 Fisheries 7. Ministry of Petroleum and 3 ------3 Mining 8. Ministry of Finance and Economic 1 ------1 Planning 9. National Legislative Assembly 2 ------2 10. Ministry of General Education 2 ------2 and Instruction 11. Ministry of Culture Youth and 2 ------2 Sports 12. Ministry of Water Resources 3 ------3 and Irrigation 13. Ministry of Parliamentary 3 ------3 Affairs 14. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 2 ------2 International Cooperation 15. Ministry of Higher Education 1 ------1 16. Ministry of Transport 1 ------1 17. Ministry of Agriculture 3 ------3 18. HIV/AIDS Commission 2 ------2 19. Council of States 2 ------2 Total 94 4 5 7 15 6 7 3 9 10 3 163

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

5.2 ‘Twinning’ as a Capacity Building Strategy and Sustainable Transfer of Knowledge

The RSS/IGAD Project employs twinning as the key strategy for long-term capacity building. It is a process in which a CSSO is coupled with a South Sudanese civil servant to provide on-the-job mentoring and coaching. The approach differs from traditional capacity building through consultancy methods because of its long-term implications for providing expertise through practical experience. Originally, each CSSO was supposed to be twinned with one South Sudanese civil servant for a period of two years. The assessment showed that many CSSOs, particularly in the health sector, twinned with multiple people within one department.

The process of identifying and selecting the twins was conducted by the MoLPS&HRD in collaboration with line ministries. Prior to the recruitment of CSSOs, the MoLPS&HRD requested line ministries to identify gaps in expertise in their institutions. Line ministries were also required to identify appropriate twins (by functional title and job description) to work with the CSSOs. At the time of the mid-term assessment survey (May-July 2012), approximately 83% of CSSO respondents confirmed they have a twin, or work with a team of twins. Only 5% strongly expressed not having a twin during the survey period. A significant number of CSSOs (12%) gave no indication (Figure 2 below).

Figure 2 (CSSOs): I have been Assigned to a Twin and/or

Team of Twins at the Ministry

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

3% 2% 12%

33%

50%

The professions of twins in the survey vary considerably. The majority of twins work within the health sector, functioning as Medical Officers (Doctors), Nurses, Midwives and Laboratory Technicians. In other sectors, most of the twin professions vary between Grade 7 and 10 at the ‘Inspector’ and ‘Senior Inspector’ levels.13 There was one twin at the Director level (grade 3) and two twins at the Deputy Director level (grade 4). Although there was only one twin at the Director General level (grade 2), amongst the respondents, the FGDs revealed that CSSOs regularly work with Director Generals and Undersecretaries, providing input mostly on policy issues and strategic plans.

13 See Appendix 2: Government Grading Structure. Also see Appendix 3 for detailed account of twin professions.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

Although the level of twinning identified during the assessment was high (83%), the in-depth FGDs revealed that the quality of twinning in various cases was not optimal. What became apparent through the survey and FGDs is that many supervisors (26%) were simultaneously also twins of CSSOs. This feature has caused complications because there is a direct conflict of interest when one person performs both roles, particularly when it comes to approving annual leave and monitoring implementation progress.14

5.2.1 Level of Learning & Positive Work Attitude of Twins An overwhelming majority of supervisors (80%) agreed that the level of learning and skills of twins had improved since the arrival of CSSOs (figure 4 below). None of the supervisors disagreed with this statement. Figure 3 below indicates that only 10% of the supervisors disagree with the fact that service delivery in institutions as a whole has improved as a result of the RSS/IGAD Project. The majority of supervisors (82%) feel that service delivery within the institution has in fact improved considerably.

Figure 3 (supervisors): As a result of Figure 4 (supervisors): The Level of the RSS/IGAD Project, the delivery of Learning and Skill of Twins, has services by the institution has improved since the arrival of the improved considerably CSSOs N=39 N=39

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Missing

7.7 10.3 10% 10%

25.6 36% 56.4 44%

Although the supervisors did not provide practical examples of these ‘improvements’, the most notable improvements depicted by supervisors was in the attitude of staff. Figure 5 below verifies a change in attitude of staff members as a result of the support of IGAD CSSOs.15 The majority of supervisors in the survey (89%) strongly feel that the IGAD Project is contributing to a positive attitude towards service delivery within their institution. Only three (3) percent of

14Also see Chapter 5.2: Supervision, Coordination and Management 15The CSSOs are generally seen as having very high levels of motivation. In Malakal Teaching Hospital for example, the CSSOs took it upon themselves to clean each ward in order to reduce the risk of infections. Across multiple hospitals, the improvement in hygiene and infection prevention practices has been a pivotal achievement by CSSOs. In the health sector particularly, IGAD Nurses, Doctors and Surgeons work during weekend hours and are on standby during evening and early morning hours.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

Supervisors disagreed that the IGAD Project contributes to a positive change towards service delivery.

Figure 5 (Supervisors): The IGAD Project has Contributed

to a Positive Attitude of Staff Members in Terms of Service

Delivery

N=39

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree

3% 8%

47%

42%

One of the FGDs in Wau Teaching Hospital revealed that the arrival of CSSOs improved the hospital’s use of medical supplies:

“Before the arrival of [CSSOs] the whole hospital would share one kidney dish, and there was no system for [wound] dressing and nurses were not making use of forceps, but now the hospital has provided us with kidney dishes and forceps from the store.” Quote from Head Nurse of Male Nursing Staff

The excerpt above demonstrates the level of confidence that management has in the expertise of CSSOs, allowing them to influence and alter the utilisation of hospital equipment. Figure 6 below depicts how an overwhelming majority of twins have shown a very positive attitude towards on-the-job coaching and mentoring: 95% of twins that responded to the survey felt that they are learning substantially from their mentors. Only one twin disagreed with the statement, while three people remained neutral. The perception of beneficiaries concerning level of learning, positive work attitude, confidence in administration and coordination of the institution, and a positive attitude towards service delivery are significant achievements of the Project thus far.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

Figure 6 (Twins): "I Feel I am learning a lot working together with my Coach/Mentor"

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree 4% 1%

30%

65%

5.2.2 Work Plans and Performance Targets During the time of this assessment, the majority of participating Government institutions did not have performance assessment frameworks to evaluate the quality of service delivery and of its staff. In mid-2012, however, the MoLPS&HRD through the Vice President officially announced the launch of a Government-wide Performance Management System, which is currently being planned and implemented. In order to mitigate the lack of strategic plans and work plans, CSSOs were asked to conduct capacity needs assessments of their institutions in the first month of their deployment. They were also required to compose work plans that included both learning objectives for the twin and institutional capacity building target goals. Since the arrival of CSSOs, 89% of the twins now make use of a work plan and target goals. Monitoring of outputs and performance assessments is valuable for the development of data to guide management decisions. This data can be used to evaluate aggregated institutional performance, and may function as a tool for raising the overall performance of existing staff, as well as ensuring quality control of new staff members.

5.2.3 Baseline indicators for Capacity Enhancement and Sustainable Knowledge Transfer The original Project outputs were to: Strengthen the capacity of key Government institutions to ensure: a) credible and efficient governance, b) effective service delivery, and c) strong public administration. A sample of 23 CSSO progress reports was analyzed across different areas of expertise in order to obtain practical examples for indicators (a) and (c) shown above in the project output objectives.16 Additionally, the same sample was also used to identify key examples for sustainable knowledge transfer.

16 Indicator (b) is essentially an outcome variable that needs to be analyzed from the perspective of beneficiaries of Government services. This assessment does not extend to that level of analysis but instead focuses on the improvement of internal institutional functioning as a result of CSSOs.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan

In the institutions where CSSOs have been deployed, there is substantial improvement in basic administrative systems and standardised operating procedures. Strengthening patient registration and medical history records, infection prevention practices, records management, and documentation of institutional (financial & programmatic) activities are core CSSO work plan objectives. Figure 7 indicates that the majority of twins (79%) in the survey felt that there has been an improvement in the administrative processes of the institution since the arrival of the CSSOs. Only 5% disagreed with the statement, while 11% remained neutral.

Figure 7 (twins): The CSSOs have Improved Administration

Processes of the Ministry/Institution

N=82

strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Missing

3.7 1.2 4.9 11

46.3 32.9

The following case studies depict how Government capacity is being strengthened by CSSOs17:

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Central Equatoria, Juba In this Ministry CSSOs have drafted an implementation plan for the budget guidelines provided by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. They focused on technical improvements of staff in the areas of bookkeeping, budget management and accountability of ministry spending. Proper payment of salaries is now done through vendor claim forms, reference numbers and account codes. CSSOs have also ensured that staff contracts adhere to an Integrated Financial Management Information System.

Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Central Equatoria, Juba In this Ministry CSSOs have developed manuals for (International) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) designed for laboratory technicians. A Quality Management System (QMS) was established and 14 staff members received training in quality management. Various functions within different departments of the Ministry were harmonised, and an inter-state regional network of laboratories was established,

17 Also see appendix 7 for more case studies on CSSO achievements and results in the health sector.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan linking state departments and directorates to national ones. CSSOs improved certain departmental job descriptions through benchmark training, and new test methods and techniques for (cattle) disease diagnosis were introduced. Certain department functions are now categorised by qualifications of staff, and CSSOs provide support to the ‘National Task Force in Diagnosis and Control of East Coast Fever’. Eradication plans have been established, although a lack of funding has prevented implementation. In October 2012, one laboratory technician from each state will receive training in QMS and ISOP from CSSOs with funding provided by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UN. The CSSOs have also played a key role in drafting the five-year strategic plan of the Ministry.

Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, Lakes State, Rumbek In this Ministry one CSSO has developed an annual work plan (Jan-Dec 2012) for the Directorate of Labour. He has developed standardised work forms for labour inspections and a directorate-wide data filing system. He also established a standardised NGO registration form, organisational inspection form and a registration form for job-seekers. A Workers Union/employer’s association registration form was also established by the CSSO. Work permit registration forms for foreign nationals have been established, and directorate staff have received on-the-job training on basic working conditions of organisations and Occupational Safety and Health Standards. The CSSO has been instrumental in creating a labour dispute committee and has improved (dispute) settlement mechanisms now available to the directorate.

Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, Central Equatoria, Juba The CSSO in the Directorate of Labour drafted a concept paper on the establishment of a Policy, Planning and Budgeting Unit. The concept was unanimously supported by senior members of the Ministry. The unit reviews ministerial budgeting and planning processes, prepares reports and evaluates development projects at the national level. They are also responsible for operationalizing the Ministry’s five-year strategic plan. One of the CSSOs prepared a study tour in Uganda (14-19 October 2012) for eight employees of the Pension Directorate who are currently developing implementation modalities to benefit from experiences of the neighbouring country. The study tour increased the knowledge, skills and attitude of staff in regards to the design, board operation, membership recruitment, collection and management of contributions, investment of funds and payments to pensioners. Funding for the initiative was derived from the Capacity Building Trust Fund of the MoLPS&HRD.

Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment, Central Equatoria, Juba In addition to drafting the three-year strategic plan, CSSOs have assisted in developing a Department for Domestic Trade, focused on promoting investments and facilitating

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trade. They have identified functions, activities and work plans for domestic trade, foreign trade and private sector development. A training programme and staff needs assessment was also drafted by the CSSOs, however lack of funding has impeded implementation. CSSOs have provided advice on policy and programmes that promote bilateral and multilateral trade. The CSSOs are part of a ministerial task force that ensures strategic plans are rolled out. They are members of a committee for international trade agreements, focused on incoming draft trade agreements and developing South Sudan’s position in international trade negotiations. CSSOs advise the Directorate of Bilateral Agreements on technical and trade policy issues with China, and the Generalized System of Preferences offered by the of America. After conducting a fact finding mission together with their twins, CSSOs have advised on the feasibility of South Sudan becoming a member of the East African Economic Community (EAC). Other task force teams the CSSOs are members include the inter-state trade task force, and the private sector development. In addition, they have facilitated a workshop with stakeholders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to identify an official contextual definition of SMEs in South Sudan.

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and International Cooperation, Central Equatoria, Juba The CSSO working in this Ministry is part of a task force comprising of twins and CSSOs from the MoLPS&HRD. They have drafted and reviewed the organisational structure of the Ministry, and the CSSO has provided on-the-job coaching and mentoring to twins in strategic planning and budgeting that fits into the strategic plan. The task force aims to streamline the Ministry’s operations and improve performance of staff functions and responsibilities. Plans to conduct training on performance management are yet to be carried out due to lack of funds.

Torit State Hospital, Eastern Equatoria In this hospital, CSSOs have standardised a process of prioritizing patient treatment based on the severity of their condition (triage). Through management, CSSOs have introduced hospital uniforms as standardised attire for nurses and doctors. Efficient and effective response to diagnosis of malaria has reduced the cases of malaria- related deaths in the hospital over the last three months to zero.

In addition to the work plans and standard operating procedures composed by CSSOs and their twins, a good example of sustainable transfer of knowledge at the level of the institution was ‘team twinning’. This is when CSSOs work together with a team of people rather than on a constant individual basis. At the MoLPS&HRD in Juba, some CSSOs work across different directorates with multiple twins, ensuring a wider coverage of knowledge sharing, coaching and mentoring. Team twinning was, in many cases, a positive spill-over effect that occurred where CSSOs had problems finding one individual twin. Another important reason for team twinning is that South Sudanese civil servants are becoming increasingly aware of CSSO expertise, and as a

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result pro-actively seek their services. This has become evident through increased requests for CSSOs from management level staff within new government institutions.18

Other positive examples of tools used by CSSOs for sustainable institutionalization of knowledge transfer include: training manuals (handbooks), work manuals and guidelines prepared for the twins and the directorates/departments; comprehensive ‘needs assessments’ of the institution/department, which form the baseline for individual CSSO work plans, and training components for the twin; and work plans for the institution to increase departmental and individual performance output. CSSOs have engaged in multiple task force teams that seek to improve departmental performance by clearly defining functions and responsibilities. Some of these task forces collaborate on an inter-state level, while others collaborate between different ministries. Potentially, an impact assessment after project implementation could review how improvements in institutional functioning as a result of CSSO activity has affected service delivery.

5.2.4 Partnerships with Consultants and other Organisations The RSS/IGAD Project is one of the many capacity building initiatives provided to the South Sudanese Government. The national Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development for example, has eight other projects currently supported by various funds and donors.19 In this Ministry, CSSOs work together with consultants in areas of policy development, strategic planning, human resource management and training for national staff.

In the health sector, CSSOs have partnered with medical staff from NGOs and other UN agencies. This has been the case in Kuajok, Warrap State, where a joint needs assessment of county medical facilities by UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and RSS/IGAD CSSOs will commence in late 2012. The assessment will culminate in a training programme which CSSOs will co-facilitate. In Yambio, Western Equatoria State, CSSOs have discussed the opportunities of working together with MSF particularly in the area of joint training. In Al Sabba Children’s Hospital (Juba), CSSOs have facilitated two formal training sessions with support from UNICEF. Modules ranged from emergency care, to WHO protocols for common infectious diseases and in-patient care. The hospital has now adopted WHO standards for drug dosage and administration with the help of reference charts.

In the National Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, a CSSO Human Resource Management Officer has worked together with consultants from HTSP to develop and implement a new Pension Scheme for South Sudan, which is funded by the Joint Donor Team. The CSSO provided technical support to the pension project working group and the steering committee of the pension reforms. Part of his capacity building work plan included

18In April 2012, the Ministry of Interior requested nurses and psychiatrists from the RSS/IGAD Project to work within prisons on a project it is implementing together with UNMISS. 19Donors and Funds that currently support the Ministry include: Capacity Building Trust Fund (CBTF) which has four different projects (Core Skills Training, Pensions Fund, Recruitment Data-base and Electronic Payroll System), Regional Capacity Building Project (RCBP) by CIDA, and Institutional Capacity Building for Poverty Reduction and Good Governance Project (ICPGGP) by the African Development Bank.

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan a study tour of the Ugandan Civil Service and National Social Security Fund for five senior members of the Pension Directorate. He also trained directorate staff in several function areas like Pension design, governance, investments, pension computation and development of budget and work plans.

5.3 Challenges to Twinning and Transfer of Knowledge

Seven months after independence, January 2012 marked a difficult socio-political and economic transition for South Sudan. Border disputes with Sudan and the shutdown in oil production led to government-wide austerity measures and a lack of operational budget to deliver public services. In practice this led to an acute decline in Government activities, and has resulted in less work for Government employees (army excluded), making on-the-job coaching and mentoring extremely difficult for CSSOs. Additionally, the lack of ministerial strategic plans, work plans, and concomitant lack of individual performance assessment has made it difficult to systematically address capacity gaps at the institutional level.

Despite the fact that 83% of CSSOs in the survey reported to have a twin, or work with a team of twins, at the implementation level, twinning has not been optimal: roughly 26% of these twins are in fact also direct supervisors of CSSOs. This situation presents a conflict of interest as a mentee should not have the responsibility to monitor CSSO progress and authority to approve annual leave.

The central challenges facing the Project in the sustainable transfer of knowledge are:

. Lack of a comprehensive capacity needs assessments prior to deployment of CSSOs has resulted in problematic twinning and ad-hoc individual capacity building, rather than a systematic demand-driven training framework at the institutional level. Civil service reform and capacity enhancement of institutions occurs in an incoherent and fragmented manner. . Inadequate human resources in the South Sudanese civil service has created pressure on CSSOs to function as additional work force for the institutions, rather than coaches and mentors. . Lack of awareness of Project objectives amongst mid-level managers and implementing within government impedes the opportunities for creating an enabling environment for coaching and mentoring. . High turn-over of staff in the South Sudanese civil service has meant that institutional knowledge is lost, and has resulted in a general shortage of staff. . Austerity measures and lack of government operational budget to implement activities have led to less work being performed by twins, thus making on-the-job coaching difficult.

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. Lack of institutional strategic plans and work plans; and concomitant lack of individual performance assessments has made it difficult to systematically identify and address capacity gaps in these institutions.

5.3.1 Comprehensive Capacity Needs Assessment Prior to Deployment The RSS/IGAD Project lacked a comprehensive capacity needs assessment of participating ministries during the initial planning phase of the Project in 2010/2011. The recruitment process and resulting list of institutional vacancies identified for CSSO recruitment laid particular emphasis on the human resource gap within government institutions. Implementation of the Project twinning and capacity building strategy was not governed by clear guidelines ones the CSSOs were deployed to their respective institutions. As a result, CSSOs have often not been twinned with the correct counterparts, and were expected to perform institutional activities, rather than coach and mentor. Additionally, the results achieved in terms of civil service reform and capacity building varies per institution and per CSSO. There are no clear guidelines or frameworks within which CSSOs build capacity and influence civil service reform. This begs the question whether the flexibility in Project implementation has been a remedy to the success of results achieved by CSSOs, and whether it leads to increased government ownership of civil service reform? One risk factor of this flexible approach is that it could lead to fragmented institutional civil service reform without centralised coordination from the lead ministry. For example, labour Inspectors (CSSOs) working in the Ministry of Labour at the state level develop multiple manuals for labour inspections and labour dispute settlement mechanisms, as well as NGO registration forms and labour union registration forms. These manuals differ from one state to the other, further fragmenting the manner in which labour inspection policies are carried out per state. In any case, there is a need to closely monitor the work of CSSOs, and create a mechanism for coordination and information sharing between the lead ministry and other line ministries.

The difference in the level of academic qualifications has caused considerable challenges in the transfer of knowledge to twins, particularly in technical fields. Language barriers between CSSOs and their twins have also proven to be a challenge affecting coaching and mentoring, particularly in the northern states of South Sudan where Arabic is the most common language.

To a large extent, the CSSO work plans compensate for the lack of baseline indicators for institutional capacity enhancement. They comprise learning objectives of twins, performance gap analyses, strategic planning to address organizational deficiencies, and performance improvement plans for the institution. The resulting progress reports are compiled into monthly and quarterly reports that are submitted twice a year to both the host institution and the PMU, ensuring both downward and upward accountability.

5.3.2 Human Resources and Expertise within Host Institutions The FGDs revealed that a large proportion of South Sudanese civil servants, at both management and implementation level, perceived CSSOs as additional workers rather than coaches and mentors. The primary reason for this is the shortage of qualified civil servants within the institutions, resulting in CSSO expertise being viewed as a means to fill capacity gaps

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan through implementation of institutional activities. A certain level of academic background knowledge is crucial to perform duties without harmful practice, particularly in more technical areas such as health (surgery, midwifery and laboratory technicians), urban planning and architecture and geology. As two medical CSSOs noted:

“Since I am the only obstetrician in the hospital, service provision and consultation is expected to take most of my time. From the time I arrived at the hospital, I was involved in patient care including specialized medical and surgical treatment.” Quote from a CSSOs working in MoH

“Coaching and mentoring for capacity enhancement is a slow and continuous process. South Sudan is still in its infancy, and the programme aims to solve the lack of qualified staff through twinning, however, in most cases there is a shortage of staff.” Quote from a CSSO working in MoH

The Project used institutional human resource gaps and CSSO expertise as the main criteria for recruitment of CSSOs. Consequently, they are also the only ones capable of performing certain functions. In the health sector, the workload limits the opportunities for CSSOs to coach their twins. The zero-sum game between conducting work and providing training is an important area of the Project that requires attention. Strong management and supervision from both the Government and PMU is needed to provide CSSOs with the necessary resources and enabling environment for coaching and mentoring.

5.3.3 Lack of Awareness on Project Objectives amongst Government Staff Other than at the level of Undersecretaries, both management and implementing staff directly involved in the Project were either not aware of the capacity building objectives of the Project, or were unclear on how to support the strategy. A gap exists between the Implementation Modalities signed by the four participating governments, and practical implementation guidelines from the MoLPS&HRD, the lead institution for the PMU. Although this situation has improved over the past year, particularly at mid-level management, CSSOs argued that there needs to be more awareness amongst government counterparts concerning the role of CSSOs:

“To date, management does not know exactly what my role in the ministry is, as the letter of my deployment [from the line ministry to the institution] clearly stated that I am an additional staff member to the hospital.” Quote from a CSSO working in MoH

During the early phases of Project implementation, various meetings were facilitated by the MoLPS&HRD in which Undersecretaries of participating ministries were familiarized with the Memorandum of Understanding between the RSS and the three IGAD countries, the implementation modality and the service contracts of CSSOs. The objective of these meetings was to outline the role of the GRSS in implementing the Initiative. Information did not, however, trickle down effectively to mid-level managers and implementing staff, especially at the state level. As a result, the flow of information and general coordination between the lead

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ministry, other national line ministries, state ministries and institutions has proven to be challenging.

Figure 8 below indicates that slightly fewer than half of the CSSOs (47%) feel their working environment allows them to execute their roles as coaches and mentors. Twenty-one percent felt that their working environment did not allow them to function as coaches and mentors. The fact that one quarter of the CSSOs was ‘neutral’ to the statement suggests that they do not feel their working environment fully allows them to function as coaches, but were reluctant to disagree with the notion. There were no significant correlations between an enabling environment for coaching and mentoring and the particular ministry in which a CSSO is deployed. The results vary and are dependent on the particular institution and location:

Figure 8 (CSSOs): The Working Environment Allows me to Execute my role as a Coach/Mentor N=121

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Missing System

11.6 6.6 35.5 5.8

14.9

25.5

Another negative outcome of the lack of awareness of Project objectives among implementing staff has been the misconception that CSSOs are taking jobs which would otherwise be available to national civil servants. The FGDs revealed that CSSOs faced a reasonable degree of resistance, especially at the onset of deployment. Acceptance improved over time due to better understanding of their roles by government staff. In Juba, CSSOs expressed that they had experienced difficulties acquiring adequate workspace during the beginning of their assignment, and that this raised some embarrassing and uncomfortable situations.

“There have also been unfortunate incidences of poor attitude where some would-be supportive parties have emphasized in their own words…‘money eaten by some foreigners working in our government offices’…not considering the value of the impact the CSSOs may contribute.” Quote from a CSSO working at the national level

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5.3.4 High Turn-over of South Sudanese Civil Servants The high turn-over of South Sudanese civil servants is proving to be a significant hazard to the Project. In some states, management level staff has also been re-assigned, and new managers are not aware of RSS/IGAD Project objectives. CSSOs complained that their twins left many months into the assignment:

“When I first came to […] Hospital, there were five medical officers (doctors). During my stay three more were added. Currently, out of the expected eight doctors, five have left and three are remaining. One of the three will leave in the near future and only two will remain.” Quote from a CSSO in the health sector

“In the beginning, I had three twins. Since then, one has left the hospital. The second was transferred to another unit because of shortage of manpower. The one remaining with me cannot stay with me during working hours as he has many activities to cover. He is not even South Sudanese (he is from Congo). So I am just providing services [...] and I am not exercising all my skills.” Quote from a CSSO in the health sector

There are strong examples of sustainable practices by CSSOs through team twinning, departmental twinning, participation in task force teams, development of annual work plans, learning manuals (handbooks), and partnerships with other organizations, as well as occasional training programmes. The ‘individual’ twinning strategy, however, is accompanied by great levels of fiduciary risk, as twins and managers are regularly reassigned to different/new posts. The strategy needs to be accompanied by other methods that harness and internalize the knowledge transferred within the institution.

5.3.5 Lack of Resources and Government Operational Budgets to Conduct Activities Austerity measures have greatly reduced the number of service provision activities undertaken by ministries, and the situation is particularly poor at the state level. For example, the CSSOs within the MoLPS&HRD are mostly twinned with Labour Inspectors at the state level, and are meant to carry out inspections at the county level.20 In most states, however, labour inspections have not been carried out since January 2012 because there is either no transportation or money for fuel.

“There is simply no budget to conduct any work for the Ministry. The ILO gave training to all the Labour Inspectors, but we don’t have the material or any other resources to carry out the work. The last time we conducted a labour inspection was in 2011.” Quote from a Labour Inspector in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal

20In South Sudan, the geographical composition of the Federal State structure comprises of a State and its capital town. Within each State there are roughly 10-13 counties, which are further divided into Payams. Payams are a composition of different communities known as Bomas.

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During a FGD, one of the twins explained that the state ministry has never included labour inspections in its annual budget, despite the fact that there were seven Labour Inspectors on the payroll within that ministry. Similarly, most of the state MoLPS&HRD did not have power supply at the office and some ministries had been without power for three months. The lack of operational budget has greatly impeded CSSOs’ abilities to provide on-the-job mentoring since their twins are unable to conduct their work. The RSS/IGAD Project funds are earmarked and thus limit the opportunity for CSSOs to conduct activities outside the original on-the-job training and mentoring strategy. The GRSS is required to provide all the necessary operational material such as work space, office equipment and transport, but this has proven to be problematic in many instances.

Despite the material shortfalls of the Project, CSSOs have shown great ability to adapt to difficult circumstances. On-the-job mentoring has proved to be a valuable method for individual capacity building, and strengthening of institutional administrative procedures, particularly where there is a general lack of resources for other training methods. 5.3.6 Strategic Work Plans and Individual Performance Assessments Another major challenge faced by the Project in terms of capacity building is the lack of staff performance assessments within government institutions. This makes it very difficult to monitor the progress of individuals, and thus determine where improvements are needed. Only 40% of the CSSOs in the survey were aware that the ministry/institution in which they are deployed has an operational work plan; 22% reported that their ministry does not have an operational work plan, 11% did not know, while 27% did not respond to the question. On 2 August 2012, the Vice President, officially launched a government-wide Performance Management System which will be implemented in all institutions by the MoLPS&HRD during the remainder of 2012. Currently a number of institutions, with the help of CSSOs and consultants, are working on new strategic plans; and a resolution was made during the CSSO mid-term review workshop (3-4 July 2012), that all CSSO work plans would be drafted in accordance with government strategic plans in the new fiscal year (July 2012-June 2013).

Roughly 44% of CSSOs stated that staff performance evaluations are not conducted in their institutions, only 18% agreed that such evaluations took place, and a large proportion, 27% did not respond to the statement as indicated in figure 9 below. Broader discussion during the FGD confirmed that staff performance evaluations are indeed very minimal. This is an important finding because it points towards an underlying feature of the South Sudanese civil service that could have consequences for capacity building if not addressed.

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Figure 9 (CSSOs): The Institution I am Deployed in Conducts Performance Evaluations of its Staff

Yes No I don’t know Missing

11%

27%

44% 18%

Due to decades of and a lack of qualified human resources in the country, the South Sudanese civil service recruitment system is not entirely based on meritocracy. As a result civil servants are not rewarded for performing well nor commonly penalized for poor performance.21

“The general level of expertise amongst the nurses is extremely low. One of the nurses was previously employed here as a casual labourer (gardener and handy man), he is illiterate and has no primary education, yet due to the lack of nurses, the hospital decided to hire him as a nurse instead of a gardener.” Quote from a CSSO in the health sector

Low remuneration coupled with limited incentives for medical practitioners, present a real challenge for public hospitals to hold on to qualified staff:

“There are two doctors at the hospital who don’t have much practical experience, and haven’t gone through an internship. They tend to stay away from the operating theatre and stick to the outpatient ward where they [unofficially] receive money for their services.” Quote from a CSSO in the health sector

Many CSSOs complained that their twins were regularly absent for scheduled workdays, and that there were no sanctions for this. In some extreme cases twins only reported to work around the end of the month when salaries were due. Regardless of these isolated incidences, 87% of twins in the survey have set target goals and learning objectives together with their mentors.

21The MoLPS&HRD together with the HTSPE consultancy group has designed a new computerized recruitment data-base which links qualifications to vacancies without any form of discrimination on the basis of gender or ethnicity. However, this system is yet to be approved by the Council of Ministers.

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One of the resolutions made during the CSSO mid-term review workshop in June 2012 was the strengthening of more systematic reporting and monitoring of the work done by CSSOs and their twins. The challenge for the MoLPS&HRD and the PMU is to create more ownership of the monitoring process by line ministries.

5.4 Supervision, Coordination and Management

All the logistics, travel arrangements for CSSOs and financial requests of the Project are handled by the PMU, which comprises the Project Manager (UNDP), one government staff and four UNDP Project support staff.22 At the institutional level, CSSOs are supervised by GRSS staff consisting of Undersecretaries, Director-Generals, Directors, Hospital Matrons, and Inspectors.

5.4.1 Supervision of CSSOs by South Sudanese Government Staff Supervisors have the responsibility of monitoring the annual leave and general performance of both CSSOs and their twins. The supervisors have been very useful in providing direction and orientation to CSSOs within their duty stations. 75% of CSSOs agree that supervisors provide them with help when needed; only 3% disagree with that notion, while 22% were neutral.

In a sample of 83 CSSOs, 71% indicated that they have an immediate supervisor to whom they report in their institution, while 29% do not. Coupled with the fact that a number of supervisors are also twins, a significant number of CSSOs therefore do not receive adequate supervision at their duty stations. The FGD and CSSO review workshop revealed that in many instances, there is no clear understanding about the role of supervisors vis-à-vis the role of the PMU. Furthermore, the majority of supervisors at the institutional level do not know how the terms of service for CSSOs differ from those of South Sudanese civil servants.23

Inadequate supervision of CSSOs at the level of the institution is problematic because it forces the PMU to become more involved in day-to-day management of CSSOs. For instance, during the field visits for this mid-term assessment, it became evident that a large number of CSSOs had been out of their duty stations for long periods of time, some with permission from their supervisors, but all without seeking approval from the PMU.24 Due to the widespread nature of the problem, the PMU made an inquiry of all the movements of CSSOs since the beginning of their deployment in South Sudan. The issue has since been discussed during the mid-term review workshop and quarterly Project Executive Board (PEB) meeting. One of the resolutions of the PEB was that punitive measures both in cash and in kind should be taken against offenders. One important finding of the research is that clarification is needed on the roles and responsibilities of supervisors vis-à-vis the PMU. Moreover, it is crucial that the Project bolsters efforts to involve supervisors in project management for increased government ownership.

22See Appendix 6 for more details on the Project’s organizational structure. 23There is an information gap between Undersecretaries and implementing staff concerning the RSS/IGAD Project. This is relevant because most of the CSSOs work directly with middle-level management and implementing staff, where the information gap exists. 24 Approval for annual leave by the PMU & MoLPS&HRD prior to departure is a mandatory regulation stipulated in the MoU: Article V, Clause 1.

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5.4.2 Coordination and Management of CSSOs by the Project Management Unit During the CSSO mid-term review workshop, concern was raised over the coordination and management of CSSOs by the PMU. CSSOs called for less micro-management of leave by the PMU, whilst urging the PMU to instead be more responsive to CSSOs’ administrative requests, such as travel arrangements, refunds, and timely processing of the monthly Consolidated Technical Allowance (CTA).

There have been a number of frustrating incidents for CSSOs where connecting flights from Juba to the state, and vice versa, were not booked, leaving the CSSOs stranded in Juba for long periods of time. There have also been incidences where the processing of technical allowances for CSSOs encountered delays, causing considerable pressure on CSSOs by landlords. Some CSSOs also faced problems with local police due to a delay of approximately 6 months in acquiring visas from the Ministry of Interior through the PMU, with no temporary measures put in place.

Where the acquisition of formal documents for CSSOs was dependent on other ministries, the process proved to be very cumbersome for the PMU and MoLPS&HRD. For example, CSSOs are required by law to have work permits and visas; and official exemption from payment of these documents has been granted to CSSOs by the GRSS. However, actual issuance of the visas took the PMU roughly six months due to complications and resistance encountered at the Ministry of Interior.

The PMU is relatively under-staffed and is faced with high workloads. At the time of the assessment, all of the administrative and financial arrangements for 163 people are carried out by a team of four people: the Project Manager, a Project Officer, Project Associate and Communications Specialist. Plans to recruit another Project Associate and a Monitoring and Reporting Officer are currently underway, which should greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the unit.

5.4.3 Coordination between the PMU and Supervisors The study revealed that direct communication between the PMU and supervisors is minimal to non-existent. This communication is either channelled through CSSOs or through the MoLPS&HRD. On the government side, this communication goes via the Undersecretaries of line ministries, to Ministers and Director-Generals at the state level. 25 However, there seems to be a lack of adequate communication between these bodies. For instance, the Directorate of Labour in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal commented that there was a circular released on 26 May 2012 from the national MoLPS&HRD concerning the termination of contracts of Sudanese staff in South Sudan. The Directorate in Wau did not receive this circular directly from Juba, but, instead, was made aware of its existence through UNICEF staff members in Wau. Similarly, the Directorate did not know what the exact figure was for minimum wages in South Sudan.

25In the Government of South Sudan Undersecretaries only function at the National level. At the state level the highest ranking official is the State Minister, followed by the Director General.

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Communication from the lead Ministry, MoLPS&HRD, to line ministries, as well as from national ministries to state ministries should be carried out in a manner that ensures all supervisors and managers are aware of the RSS/IGAD objectives and more specifically the roles of the PMU and CSSOs vis-à-vis the twins and supervisors. The PMU is currently developing a plan to hold induction workshops for supervisors, Undersecretaries, Director Generals and Directors in order to improve awareness of Project objectives, and to clarify the roles of the different stakeholders.

5.5 Well-Being and Security of CSSOs

5.5.1 Well-Being At the time of the assessment CSSOs were generally pleased with their new working environment in South Sudan, with 71% of CSSOs expressing agreement and only seven people (6%) expressing displeasure at the new environment. Nineteen CSSOs (16%) remained neutral. The most common problems CSSOs expressed during the time of the assessment were:

. Lack of office equipment and resources for training . Delays in provision of visas, alien registration and work permits . Delays in payments of technical allowances, travel allowances and refunds . Lack of transportation provided by Ministries . Underutilisation of CSSO expertise by host Ministries . Quality of medical facilities provided through the insurance plan . Hostility of South Sudanese civilians towards ‘foreigners’ . High cost of living and expensive accommodation . Residential overcrowding . Resistance from South Sudanese staff at the onset of deployment (although this improved with time). . Lack of twins . Work-related stress

CSSOs are entitled to 45 calendar days of annual leave. Initially they were allowed to take 15 days after the first six months of service, and the remaining 30 days after 12 months of service. During the FGDs, CSSOs felt six months without seeing family or having a break caused high levels of stress and related health concerns. They have since requested that the PMU together with the PEB revise the annual leave policy and allow them to take up leave on a quarterly basis; 15 days every three months. This request was approved by the PEB during a meeting held on 3 August 2012.

5.5.2 Safety & Security The two main responsibilities of the South Sudanese Government as stipulated in the RSS/IGAD MoU and the Implementation Modality is to ensure the security of CSSOs, while assisting them to obtain safe accommodation. This has largely been achieved in most of the states where the

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government took it upon itself to accommodate CSSOs in hotels or private housing. In all of the states, the Government has been extremely compliant in taking up this responsibility.

In Juba, however, the situation was more complex as the host institutions in Juba do not provide housing to CSSOs. This is because there are numerous possibilities for housing in the capital city as a posed to the states where there are very few. To give an indication of the housing market in Juba; it costs a CSSO approximately USD 1000 per month to live in a single person tent in a hotel facility with dinner, maintenance service and security included. Many CSSOs choose to share a one person tent in order to reduce costs. Others have managed to acquire shared housing, although due to high prices, overcrowding has been an inevitable consequence of cost reduction methods. There are cheaper possibilities available in Juba, however, the government strongly advises against certain areas for safety reasons.

5.5.3 Health Insurance The CSSOs are fully covered by UAP, a regional medical insurance company. Despite the large number of clinics available through UAP, some CSSOs in the states have complained about poor service conditions and low quality medical supplies and equipment.

UAP also provides services in numerous hospitals and clinics in Kenya and Uganda. As part of the corporate medical cover for the CSSOs, UAP provides a packaged total of five (one-way) commercial tickets for medical evacuations for the total group of 200 CSSOs. So far, two medical evacuations have been utilized to Ethiopia due to heart related problems, both of which have since returned to their duty stations.

There is a concern that the number of evacuations provided by UAP to the whole group of CSSOs (200) is not sufficient. At this point the Project has no alternative for medical evacuations, as CSSOs are under the RSS/IGAD contract structure and are not eligible for health cover provided for UNDP staff. However, during the conflict in Unity State (March-May 2012), UNDP and UNMISS included CSSOs in their emergency evacuation plan following a request from the RSS, suggesting flexibility of the UN in aiding emergency evacuations of CSSOs when they are also evacuating their own staff.

6 CONCLUSIONS

The assessment revealed that the RSS/IGAD Initiative and the twinning methodology in particular are effective methods for institutional and individual capacity building, especially in the (post-conflict) context of South Sudan where government institutions suffer an enormous lack of financial and human resources. Feedback from CSSOs and government stakeholders suggests that on-the-job coaching and mentoring is an extremely valuable practice for civil servants who have low academic and practical experience. The strategy is an excellent method for knowledge transfer to individuals, especially where the level of skills and qualifications of mentees are low. However, the importance of identifying appropriate twins needs further attention from the PMU and host institution. The Project could maximise impact in the second year by developing guidelines and practical tools that sustain the transfer of knowledge within

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the institution. Similarly, Project management should focus on coherent coordination and information flow between the lead institution and line ministries. Particularly where civil service reform is occurring and strategic (institutional) policies are being developed.

Both supervisors and twins have expressed that the level of learning and motivation of South Sudanese civil servants since the arrival of the CSSOs has increased, and that the performance of the institution as a whole has generally improved because of this. This perception points towards the appreciation of CSSOs by government staff.

Evidence suggests that there are substantial improvements in administrative processes and practices in institutions where CSSOs have been deployed. Records management, standard operating procedures, quality management systems, accurate job descriptions, medical history records, infection prevention practices and documentation of institutional activities are some of the key areas of government capacity that CSSOs have strengthened. However, capacity strengthening occurs in an ad-hoc manner, varying per institution and per state, and the process is not consistent across the board. The government will need to scale up its involvement in Project monitoring to address the issue of fragmented civil service reform and institutional capacity development.

Within public hospitals, CSSOs have brought new skills and expertise, which has increased the level of motivation amongst national staff, and hospital managers seem to have more confidence in the performance of their staff. At the policy level, CSSOs have played a key role in developing strategic and annual work plans for GRSS institutions. Among other results, CSSOs have drafted policy frameworks for Labour Inspections, reviewed and drafted laws at the level of the National Legislative Assembly, and provided valuable input for a new National Pensions Scheme. CSSOs have played a key role in establishing task force teams to roll-out strategic plans, in some instances inter-state departmental collaboration has been improved because of CSSO contributions. The case studies in appendix 7 show that there has been a substantial increase in output performance within various hospitals since the arrival of CSSOs. In the medical sector where twins receive on-the-job coaching and mentoring from CSSOs, there are improved capabilities amongst twins to carry out safer and more complex medical procedures albeit under supervision of CSSOs.

Despite major challenges in terms of institutional resources and adequate equipment to conduct work and proper training activities, CSSOs have shown great capacity to adapt and cope under some of the most challenging conditions. The Project could benefit greatly from investing in partnerships with other NGOs and multilateral agencies to broaden the scope of training for national staff, particularly where Project and government resources are scarce.

At the implementation level, the twinning process has proved to be challenging, especially in terms of adequate twinning and sustainability, including the institutionalization of knowledge transfer of knowledge. There have been various cases where CSSOs were not assigned twins, for example at the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning in Juba. Government-wide austerity measures and a lack of operational budget to deliver public services have led to an acute decline in government activities, and have resulted in less work for government

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan employees (army excluded), making on-the-job coaching and mentoring extremely difficult for CSSOs. The lack of ministerial strategic plans, work plans, and concomitant lack of individual performance assessment has made it difficult to systematically address capacity gaps at the institutional level. High staff turn-over within government institutions has created pressure on CSSOs to execute ministry work, and has led to situations of capacity substitution rather than capacity enhancement. Language barriers between CSSOs and twins hinder on-the-job coaching and mentoring. Lack of involvement and limited awareness of Project objectives among mid- level managers and supervisors (particularly at state level) impedes the potential for creating an enabling environment for coaching and mentoring.

The lack of strong ownership and leadership in the management and coordination of the project by the Government, particularly at the institutional level, where the role of supervisors vis-à-vis the PMU is blurred, is an issue of concern. Supervisors have been assigned the task of monitoring CSSO attendance and performance. However, many supervisors do not know the rules and regulations (Implementation Modality) that govern the Project, nor are they aware of the provisions of CSSO service contracts. Similarly, many supervisors (26% in survey) are also mentees of CSSOs creating a conflict of interest when it comes to monitoring leave and assessing performance.

Communication and coordination between the lead Government institution (MoLPS&HRD) and other line ministries is a key area for improvement for the RSS/IGAD Project in the second year. Senior and middle-level managers at the institutional level should be more involved in planning, decision-making and implementation of the Project. The meaningful involvement of these stakeholders in the second year (2012-2013) is vital in ensuring the sustainability and institutionalization of knowledge currently being transferred to South Sudanese civil servants; and the benefit this will have on improved public service delivery in general.

SWOT Analysis of the RSS/IGAD Project

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

. Evidence-based policy decisions strengthened. . Comprehensive institutional capacity needs . Improved budgetary planning & assessments prior to deployment implementation of institutional strategic plans . Government ownership and . Hands-on capacity enhancement & knowledge involvement/participation of supervisors in transfer coordination & management . Positive attitude towards service delivery . Communication & coordination between lead . Improved Quality Management Systems ministry and line ministries . Introduction of Standard Operating Procedures . Guidelines and tools for the implementation . Improved records management of Project modalities and strategy . Ability of twins to conduct complex tasks . Project objective awareness among . Introduction of cross-ministry planning and government staff implementation task force teams . Understaffing of the PMU . Team twinning . Level of learning of twins

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OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

. Enhancement of Inter-state departmental . Austerity and lack of operational budgets linkages . Lack of institutional strategic plans and . Systematic institutionalization of knowledge performance assessments transfer through sustainable practices & exit . High Staff turn-over strategy for CSSOs . Lack of human resources and twins at . Partnerships with consultancies and UN institutional level agencies to facilitate training . Lack of resources for training activities . Involvement of senior and middle-level . Low levels of motivation among twins managers in planning, decision-making and . Lack of Institutional strategic plans & implementation of the Project performance assessments . Coordination and management mechanisms . Lack of coordination by lead ministry to ensure for PMU and Government supervisors civil service reform and institutional capacity . Recruitment of in phase II of the development is coherent throughout Project. government. . Lack of government ownership and involvement of mid-level managers and supervisors in M&E and decision-making

7. RECOMMENDATIONS AND WAY FORWARD

1) The RSS/IGAD Project should seek to provide guidelines and practical tools to CSSOs and the RSS for the institutionalisation of knowledge transfer within the second year after deployment (2012-2013). In this last year of phase 1 of the Project, an exit strategy for CSSOs needs to be developed by the PMU, together with the MoLPS&HRD, to ensure that the output performance of institutions does not deteriorate after the CSSOs have left. This strategy should involve the following components:

a) Training curriculum for twins developed in line with government fiscal year work plan; b) M&E framework to monitor performance of the twins in achieving training goals; c) Team twinning approach where one CSSO trains at least six twins; d) Accreditation system for twins and supervisors acknowledging participation in the programme; and e) Individual CSSO work plans to include a section on sustainability of knowledge transfer.

2) The RSS/IGAD Project should look to involve all levels of Government stakeholders in

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areas that affect CSSO performance as a way of enhancing ownership. More precisely, the MoLPS&HRD with help from PMU should establish a regular forum for Undersecretaries and Director Generals at both national and state level. The forum’s objectives should be to:

a) Familiarise participants with Project objectives; and the coaching and mentoring role of CSSOs; b) Strengthen participation and project ownership through group assignments and decision-making processes; c) Familiarise and refresh knowledge of Undersecretaries and Director Generals on the RSS/IGAD Implementation Modality and MoU, as well as CSSO Conditions of Service; d) Ensure client buy-in (including Undersecretaries and Director Generals) for implementation of Project activities; e) Strengthen RSS supervision mechanisms over CSSOs; and f) Strengthen the communication and collaboration between the MoLPS&HRD, line ministries and state ministries.

3) For middle-level managers and twins, the MoLPS&HRD with help from PMU should establish a forum/hold workshop that will create an enabling environment for CSSO to function as coaches and mentors. This forum should seek to:

a) Familiarise them with the coaching and mentoring objectives; b) Create team-bonding through participatory exercises; c) Familiarise them with the role of supervisors’ vis-a-vis that of CSSOs and twins; d) Develop annual work plans that focus on coaching on one hand, and institutional capacity building on the other i.e. practical tools for sustainability of transfer of knowledge (through participatory exercises); and e) Enhance acceptance and support for the Project.

The arrival of the last batch of 36 CSSOs presents an opportunity to hold these workshops. The CSSOs will receive the same two-week induction process attended by previous CSSOs, in which the first week will outline cultural, economic and social aspects of working in South Sudan and the second week will cover the twinning methodology, and coaching and mentoring. Ensuring the participation of twins and middle-level managers in the second half of this induction, which has not previously happened, will be essential for successful Project implementation in the last year.

4) The PMU and MoLPS&HRD should look into options, with the PEB, for financing

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Mid-Term Assessment (2011-2012): The RSS/IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Building in South Sudan resources for systematic training of twins by CSSOs. This is a vital condition for maximising impact, particularly in the health sector. The Project should seek to combine on-the-job coaching and mentoring with theoretical knowledge training. This cannot be accomplished without appropriate training materials for CSSOs. Incentives for workshops such as food and refreshments should ideally be covered by the Government. However, due to austerity measures, this will most probably also have to be financed by the Project.

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APPENDICES

1. CSSO Professions (Total Number of CSSOs)

Profession Frequency Administrative Officer 6 Air traffic Controller 1 Anaesthetist 5 Architect 2 Cooperative Development 2 Officer Economist 6 Executive Secretary 6 Film Production Officer 1 Finance Officer 2 Geologist 1 Human Resource Management 15 Officer ICT Officer 4 Industrial Development Officer 1 Veterinary Laboratory Technician 4 Labour Officer 9 Laboratory Technician 9 Land Officer 2 Legal Officer 4 Management Analyst 5 Marketing Officer 1 Microbiologist 1 Paediatrician 2 Physical Planner 4 Physician 4 Procurement Officer 3 Public Communication Officer 3 Quality Assurance Officer 2 Radiologist 2 Records Management Officer 3 Registered Midwife 13 Registered Nurse 30 Surgeon 7 Trade Development Officer 1 Veterinary Officer 2 Total 163

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APPENDIX 2

2. Government Grading Structure in South Sudan

Profession Grade Management level Grade 1 Minister Salary Derived from Parliament Grade 1 Top level Deputy Minister Salary Derived from Parliament Undersecretary Grade 1 Director General Grade 2 Director Grade 3 Deputy Director Grade 4 Mid-level Assistant Director/Chief Grade 5 Technical Experts Senior Inspector Grade 7 Inspector/Technical Officer Grade 8 Assistant Inspectors and Grade 9 graduate entries Sub-Professional & Technical: Head of Staff Clerk Grade 10 Accountants Primary School Teachers Senior Clerks Senior book keepers Grade 11 Medical Assistants Clerks Implementing level Book Keepers Grade 12 Secretaries Unclassified Skilled: Technicians Artisans Grade 13-15 Head Mechanics Senior Drivers Unclassified Unskilled: Messengers Grade 16-17 Unclassified Labourers Cleaners

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APPENDIX 3

3. Professions of Twins

Profession Frequency Acting Director 1 Anaesthetist 2 Assistant Researcher 2 Certified Nurse 2 Registered Nurse 9 Community Nurse 1 Enrolled Nurse 7 Nursing Assistant 1 Community Midwife 2 Enrolled Midwife 5 Registered Nurse/Midwife 2 General Practitioner 1 Medical Officer 8 Clinical Officer 2 Deputy Director of 2 Establishment Director General of Trade 1 Environmentalist 1 Executive Officer 1 Geologist 1 Human Resource 2 Management Officer ICT Officer 2 Laboratory Technician 10 Labour Inspector 4 Manager 1 Procurement Officer 1 Public Administrator 1 Senior Clerk 1 Senior Confidential Clerk 1 Senior Inspector 1 Senior Laboratory Assistant 1 Senior Labour Inspector 1 Senior Personnel Officer 1 Technical Administrator 1 Unspecified 3 Total 82

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APPENDIX 4

4. Professions of Supervisors

Profession Frequency Director 7 Director General 4 Hospital Director 1 Laboratory Director 1 Hospital Matron 1 Medical Director 7 Medical Officer/Doctor 3 Laboratory Technician 1 Procurement Officer 1 Registered Nurse 3 Undersecretary 2 Veterinary Officer 1 Unspecified (Missing) 7 Total 39

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APPENDIX 5

5. RSS/IGAD PROJECT OUTPUT OBJECTIVES Annual Work plan (Year 1): September 2010 to August 2011

EXPECTED OUTPUTS PLANNED ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME PLANNED BUDGET List activity results and RESPONSIBL E PARTY Output 1 associated actions Q Q Q Q Funding Budget Description Amount (USD) Capacities strengthened of key Government 1 2 3 4 Source institutions to ensure credible and efficient Activity Result 1 governance, effective service delivery and strong public 200 Civil Service Support Stipend Costs (200 Civil service 7,200,000 administration in the pre- and immediate post Officers from IGAD Member Support Officers) * referendum periods. States with significant skills, Accommodation Allowances ** 1,200,000 experience and Stationary and sundries 20,000 professionalism identified, TBD Orientation workshops 25,000 deployed and managed. UNDP in support (Resource IT Equipment for civil servants 400,000 Baseline: Actions of MoLPS Mobilization International travel 150,000 - Limited number of qualified civil servants X underway) Local travel 50,000 - 1.1 Consultations of MoLPS Inadequate regulatory, legislative and policy with participating Sub total 9,045,000 framework at GoSS and States levels. ministries and GMS 7% 633,150 - Lack of diagnostic tools and data to support institutions to identify Subtotal Activity Result 1 9,678,150 organizational change processes at GoSS critical areas of human and States level. resource needs. * Estimated average of USD 3,000 - Lack of efficient and effective service 1.2 Roster of potential civil X per person per month; USD 1,500 for delivery. servants developed. mid-level personnel; up to USD 4,000 for more senior personnel. 1.3 Identification and X X X

Indicators: placement of 200 Civil ** USD 500 per person per month (= - 1,000 GoSS and States civil service line Service Support Officers 200pax x USD 500 x 12 months = functionaries benefitting from coaching and from IGAD Member USD 1,2 million); accommodation mentoring services States. allowance TBC, particularly for - Tools and processes used to undertake 1.4 Ongoing training and X X X state-based participants organizational needs assessments, coaching of GoSS and performance gap analysis and strategic States civil service line planning to address organizational deficiencies functionaries provided. developed and used for participating GoSS 1.5 Basic management and X X X and States ministries. - administration services Performance improvement plans under provided at GoSS and implementation. States. Targets: 1.6 Orientation programme X X X - 200 Civil Service Support Officers identified and national civil and placed. - servants diversity 1000 GoSS and States civil service line training organized.

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functionaries under taking coaching and 1.7 Organizational systems X X X mentoring services and procedures, legal - Clear, defined and communicated and regulatory organizational strategy and standards defining frameworks, policies service delivery benchmarks and client and guidelines satisfaction targets implemented. developed/improved in - Improved performance at individual, work participating host process flow and overall organizational levels agencies at GoSS and in participating GoSS and States ministries. States level. - 5 orientation workshops and 12 national civil Activity Result 2 X X X UNDP in support TBD Training, workshops and conferences 50,000 servants diversity training workshops South-South linkages of MoLPS (Resource Intl Travel 10,000 organized. between Southern Sudan Mobilization Subtotal 60,000 and regional countries public underway) GMS 7% 4,200 sector agencies and think Subtotal Activity Result 2 64,200 tanks in IGAD Member States developed and activated Actions 2.1 Linkages established X X X between key IGAD public sector agencies for specialized mentoring /advisory services and senior civil servants in GoSS and States. 2.2 Linkages established / X X X strengthened with at least two key regional public sector knowledge think-tanks in the region. Activity Result 3 X X X UNDP in support TBD Staff costs (Project Manager – P3) 238,286 Project start up, coordination of MoLPS (Resource PMU IT equipment support 10,000 and management activities Mobilization Furniture and sundries 10,000 properly carried out. underway) Miscellaneous costs 5,000 Actions Local travel 10,000 3.1 Project Management X X X X Rental and Maintenance Costs 300,469 Unit at the Contribution Costs 100,156 MoLPSestablished and Reimbursement Cost 100,156 made fully functional. Subtotal 774,068 3.2 Project Steering Board X X X X GMS 7% 54,185 established. Subtotal Activity Result 3 828,253 3.3 Quarterly Reviews X X X X against Annual Work Plan conducted.

GRAND TOTAL USD 10,570,603

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APPENDIX 6

6. RSS/IGAD Organizational Structure

The overall structure of the RSS/IGAD Project is designed to emphasize and ensure Government ownership and coordination. A Project Executive Board (PEB) is responsible for management decisions and approval of project plans and revisions. The PEB ensures project accountability and management for development results and also provides guidance to the PMU on implementation of the Project. The PEB is chaired by the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development (MoLPS&HRD), which is also the lead government institution coordinating the initiative.

- Norwegian Donor Government PROJECT EXECUTIVE BOARD - UNDP Officials and - IGAD Country Advisors Senior Beneficiary MoLPS&HRD Senior Suppliers Representatives

- Project Associate UNDP Project - Project Officer Programme Project PMU/ Assurance Project Manager Support - M&E Officer/ Comm. Management Functions Specialist Team - Project Driver

Line Ministries

Civil Service Support Officers

RSS/IGAD Management at Implementation Level At the level of Project implementation, the Initiative is managed by the MoLPS&HRD through the PMU. The Undersecretary for Public Service and Human Resource Development in the MoLPS&HRD authorizes all payments, annual leave applications and major decisions concerning the Project. These authorizations are processed by the PMU, which manages the Project budget and coordinates and administers Project activities. The PMU consists of a Project manager (UNDP), four UNDP staff members and a government representative (MoLPS&HRD). The PMU is the first point of contact between CSSOs, government institutions and any other partners/stakeholders. Within the line ministries, CSSOs are supervised by government staff at the level of Undersecretaries, Director-Generals, Directors, Hospital Matrons, and in some cases Inspectors.26

26 See Appendix 2 for more information on Government Grading structure in South Sudan

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APPENDIX 7

7. Additional Case Studies of CSSO Achievements

Case Study 1: Bentiu Hospital, Unity State (Main Achievements after 12 months) Administrative records in Bentiu Hospital show that prior to the arrival of CSSOs, the hospital managed to conduct 625 inpatient treatments and 110 operations in 2010. In the year that six CSSOs were deployed, these figures increased to 1,900 inpatient treatments and 325 operations. In terms of departmental performance this constitutes an output increase of 295 per cent. The same hospital did not have the capacity to manage malnutrition cases as children were all referred to an MSF feeding centre for treatment. CSSOs have since managed to mobilize resources and established an Out-Patient Therapeutic Feeding Program for children up to the age of five years. Between June 2011 and May 2012, a total number of 17,148 children were screened; 607 children received vitamin A supplements; and 803 children were diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition of which over 66% have been cured and discharged from the programme. Two twins have been permanently attached to the program, and are able to work independently when CSSOs are away or on leave.

Case Study 2: Primary Health Care Centre (Achievements after 6 months) One of the first assignments of the CSSOs deployed to Morobo County was to establish an annual work plan and M&E framework for the hospital. Only two departments in the hospital previously had a work plan, which was developed by the County Health Bureau not the hospital staff themselves. Furthermore, the work plan was only accessible to management and not displayed to all staff members, making it difficult to monitor weekly and monthly health activities of the hospital. The CSSO collected all the data the County Health Bureau had gathered in the previous years concerning: in-patient and out-patient registration, laboratory registration, and delivery registration. The data also provided them with relevant population statistics for Morobo County. Together with the hospital staff, the CSSOs used the data to design an inter-departmental work plan for all types of vaccine treatments: tuberculosis, polio, DPT, measles, tetanus; as well as family planning treatment, and antenatal care and delivery.

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Above: Morobo Primary Health Care Centre staff discussing the annual work plan for treatment activities, January 2012.

The CSSOs have effectively managed to create ownership in planning, monitoring and performance evaluations by hospital staff members, who now monitor their performance on a daily basis, providing valuable information on patient records and allowing them to determine what improvements are needed in order to reach more patients.

Above: Morobo Hospital staff member filling in the monthly activity monitoring chart, January 2012

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Case Study 3: Rumbek Hospital, Lakes State (Achievements after 6 months) In Rumbek Hospital, seven CSSOs in the medical field have developed a strategic plan for the hospital, and subsequent individual work plans that focus on the overall objectives of this strategic plan. This strategy ensures that CSSOs are providing on-the-job mentoring to twins that focuses on institutional output and outcome objectives. Together with hospital management, the CSSOs have also developed a twinning strategy that seeks to ensure a wider coverage of hospital staff. The CSSO Gynaecologist trains one South Sudanese General Practitioner per quarter, ensuring a rotation of twins. The Radiologist trains two nurses on a permanent basis, but also provides radiology lessons to General Practitioners.

The CSSOs have developed a logical framework activity plan with clear objectives and activities for each department (ward) within the hospital. This activity plan is focused on strengthening the capacity of the institution as a whole, rather than individuals. The hospital now has a practice guidelines manual for practitioners, protocols for emergency procedures, nursing care manuals, and infection prevention guidelines.

Case Study 4: Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development in Kuajok, Warrap State and Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal (Achievements after 6 months) Before the arrival of the CSSOs, the Directorate of Labour, whose main function is to conduct labour inspections and handle labour disputes, did not have any manuals or guidelines for labour inspections. In addition, the Directorate did not have a copy of the National Labour Act. Due to lack of a work plan, most of the people working in the Directorate did not have functional titles and job descriptions.

Since his deployment in Kuajok, the CSSO has drafted a guideline on industrial relations between employees and employers. He has also developed a Labour Inspection Guidelines’ manual; and a Workplace Inspection Checklist for Inspectors, stipulating health and safety issues. Consequently, the Warrap State Ministry now has accurate functional titles and job descriptions for all staff members; drafted in line with a new Directorate work plan that outlines clear objectives and a mission statement. The CSSO also managed to obtain the National Labour Act with the help of other CSSOs in the country. The remaining challenge the Directorate faces is the lack of transport and funds to put all the labour inspection manuals in practice. Despite the lack of resources, the CSSO has trained 19 staff members on industrial relations; and conducted on-site training sessions for five staff members, teaching them how to conduct labour inspections and document the registration of workplaces.

Similarly, in Wau, the CSSOs in the MoLPS&HRD identified a skills-gap in the Directorate of Labour and provided training to eight twins on the importance of work plans, and monitoring and evaluation. The CSSO gave on-the-job training in the areas of labour administration mainly focusing on: International Labour Standards of the ILO; Industrial Labour Relations; employment; and how to conduct research on labour matters. The CSSO also gave intensive training on social dialogue and its role in labour disputes; settlement mechanisms for labour disputes; and general concepts on Occupational Safety and Health. A comprehensive training manual on the system of labour administration; labour disputes; and labour inspections has also been developed and copies distributed to all staff.

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Case Study 5: Yambio Hospital, Western Equatoria State (Achievements after 6 months) The CSSOs made a collective work plan for the Hospital which outlines 10 major objectives:

1. Improved documentation and records keeping 2. Strengthened Family Planning and improved uptake of modern contraceptives 3. Improved quality of Mother and Child Health Care 4. Improved stock management 5. Improved attitude towards work 6. Training on Common Surgical Procedures 7. Improving anaesthesia service of the hospital 8. Support to Management 9. Standardizing infection prevention practices 10. Implementing standard nursing care in the hospital

The case study in Yambio revealed that the CSSOs were facing challenges in achieving the objectives due to a lack of motivation amongst the twins, and a lack of resources within the institution. For example, the hospital did not have basic log books and patient cards for recording patient information, nor did the hospital have adequate cabinet files to establish a records data base. Many of the nurses and general hospital staff are unable to read or write.

For the second and third objectives (above), the CSSOs were challenged by the fact that there was no visual health educational material available for them to provide adequate training to twins. Another major challenge was the lack of medical supplies and unavailability of current drugs for treatment, for instance, malaria drugs.

All the objectives involved some form of training to twins and hospital staff. The CSSOs found that where training was involved, many staff members showed a lack of commitment and motivation. One of the reasons for this was because the CSSOs did not have training material (training hall and visual educational material); but also because they had no incentives to provide to the trainees, such as food and refreshments, and DSA.

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Above: A CSSO Laboratory Technician (right) checking blood samples with his twin (left) in Yambio State Hospital, February 2012

Case study 6: Improved capability of Twins to carry out safer and more complex procedures Twins in Wau Teaching Hospital mentioned that the CSSOs introduced a new system of sterilization. Previously, nurses would sterilise different equipment used on patients in one boiling pot for sterilisation, which posed a huge risk of infection. However, now, separation of equipment before sterilization is a common practice, and different equipment is never sterilised in one pot.

In Bentiu Hospital, Unity State, General Practitioners who previously conducted only minor surgery have now learned to conduct more complex operations as a result of on-the-job coaching and mentoring. However, the level of knowledge and experience of nurses and midwives is very low. This has made it more difficult to train nurses and midwives in more complex procedures. Language also hampers transfer knowledge to twins. Many nurses and midwives only speak Arabic, and where there is no qualified nurse or midwife to translate what the CSSO is saying, the levels of knowledge transferred are significantly less. One of the recommendations from the CSSOs was to introduce courses in the programme, however as mentioned before, currently there is no budget available for this.

In Bor Civil Hospital (), the CSSO surgeon is the only surgeon available in the whole state, which is the most densely populated state in the whole of South Sudan (approximately 1.3 million people according to the last Population and Housing Census 2008). The surgeon has managed to coach General Practitioners in performing minor surgery; however these cannot be conducted without his supervision. The surgeon feels that their ability to conduct surgery

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unsupervised would only be possible if he was able to provide them with knowledge training and composed a curriculum for them to learn within the period that he is working in the hospital.

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