ReliefWeb

1. Executive Summary

The Southern Africa Regional Representation Office (SARRO) began 2013 with minimal staff and in the relatively newly-established location of Gaborone, Botswana. The challenges faced due to these circumstances have been previously reported in both the 2012 Annual Report and the Development Operational Plan. This notwithstanding, SARRO was accredited diplomatic status by the Government of the Republic of Botswana during the first half of the year.

SARRO has expanded its focus from the three key areas outlined in the 2013 Development Operational Plan to five more concise key areas namely:

1 . To support NSs to be well functioning, through direct interventions such as governance training, Organizational Capacity Assessment and Certification (OCAC) process and through supporting peer accountability and agreed modus operandi.

2 . To support NSs to prepare for and respond to disasters through training of response teams, establishing early warning systems, pre-positioning stocks, and managing access to and use of emergency funds.

3 . To support and position all NSs to raise a greater proportion of their own funding requirements and resources through stronger representation to their governments, in-country partners/donors and through domestic resource mobilization.

4 . To promote coordination and good donor support among Movement Partners, through coordination meetings, greater communication between NSs and SARO at the working level and high level dialogue.

5 . To promote amongst NSs the need to comply with donor requirements and expectations and build NSs ability to meet monitoring and evaluation and reporting standards.