AFRICAN RESEARCH AND RESOURCE FORUM (ARRF)

Regional Workshop on ‘The 2011 Referendum and the future of Southern Sudan’

 

 Call for Papers

 

The African Research and Resource Forum (ARRF) is a research, data resource, reflection and policy debate institution devoted to the resolution of the governance and development issues confronting policy-makers and societies in the East African Community (EAC) and the Great Lakes Region.  It links scholars, researchers, opinion leaders and public service functionaries to interact and share ideas. The Forum also facilitates the evolution of a regional community of scholars, activists and institutions, with a shared interest in resolving inter-African development problems. 

 

    ARRF Regional Workshop on ‘The 2011 Referendum and the future of Southern Sudan’

ARRF will host a regional workshop on the above theme, on 15^th and 16^th October 2010 in Southern Sudan. This will be a meeting of researchers and analysts from Eastern Africa and beyond – but mainly Southern Sudanese - as well representatives of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) - particularly the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission - and other sections of the Southern Sudanese society.

     Objectives of the Workshop:

•   To discuss key challenges in the referendum process and offer suggestions for their resolution to the Southern Sudan referendum commission;
•    To deliberate on the implications of the alternative of referendum outcomes and the challenges of building a peaceful and prosperous society in Southern Sudan in the post-referendum period.   

 

     Subject Areas:

Papers should cover key issues in the two distinct phases of the process, i.e. the pre-referendum period and the post-referendum period. However, papers addressing challenges expected in both periods are most welcome.

As a guideline, we expect papers on the pre-referendum period to address (singularly or in some combination) such questions as:

1.            The Legal and institutional frameworks for the referendum: The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and relevant laws;
   
2.            The institutional capacity (technical and human capacities) of the organs of the referendum process;
   
3.             Citizenship and Voting Rights: Who is a Southern Sudanese and how will this be determined? – including the issue of border demarcation.
   
4.           Lessons from Sudan’s recent general elections and/or recent referenda on the African continent;  
   
5.            Intra-Southern Sudan conflicts and how they could affect the referendum process.

 

The post-referendum period will entail either a retention of the status quo or secession of the south and the creation of a new state of Southern Sudan. In some cases, papers will carry analyses of the current situation and future challenges in the event of secession. In other cases, papers will presume the creation of a new state of Southern Sudan. The key issues to be addressed (singularly or in some combination) include:

1.       Management of natural resources–especially oil and water-and national assets;
2.     Management of international treaties and sovereign debt;
   
3.      Citizenship – the fate of Southerners in the North and Northerners in the South;
   
4.     Official currency and Monetary Policy;
   
5.      The transition period, in case of  secession of the South.

Papers should be between 5,000-10,000 words long.

Those interested in writing a paper for the workshop should send their abstracts and full CVs to ARRF on e-mail addresses: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 13^th August 2010. Once selected, authors will be expected to submit their first draft papers by 20^th September 2010.