Membership Information

The NGO Forum is composed of member NGOs who pay an annual fee, are governed by the NGO Forum Statutes of Operation, and represented by the annually elected NGO Forum Steering Committee. It is not possible for individuals to become members of the NGO Forum. Member organisations must meet mandatory membership criteria and apply for, and receive, membership. Membership criteria is as follows:

1. The Member is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit, non-partisan, non-political and non-proselytising organisation (NGO), providing humanitarian or development assistance to the Sudanese, and accepting the NGO Forum Scope of Services.
2. The Member must have a full-time presence in South Sudan.
3. Potential members must complete the NGO Forum Registration form which includes a description of the NGO, including background, current projects, planned projects, funding sources, statues of operation, and organizational structure. This is to be updated annually in January at the time of renewal of membership and payment of annual membership fees.
4. Members must provide documentary evidence of registration with the GoSS – either SSRRC and/or MoLA.
5. Members should pay membership fees, which are due in the first two months of each calendar year. New members who join the Forum at a midpoint of any calendar year will have the amount pro-rated according to the remaining months in the year.
6. Prospective members will be reviewed by the Steering Committee and then approved by the Country Director’s Group or National NGO Forum. The prospective NGO must be available to attend the appropriate Forum meeting in order to answer questions regarding their NGO and activities should that be required.
7. Member organizations are subject to the laws of Sudan and projects should not contravene the Constitution of Sudan.

Application Procedures:

Prospective members must submit to the NGO Forum a written application following the most recent version of the standard NGO Forum Registration form, which can be obtained online, or from the NGO Forum Secretariat office located in the Tearfund compound.

1. The application must be submitted to the NGO Forum Secretariat Office, attn: NGO Secretariat Coordinator, within two months of each calendar year or upon establishment of the organisation in the region. The application will be completed/updated annually by each member organisation. The application may be submitted in electronic or paper copy. The electronic version should be mailed to: coordinator@southsudanngoforum.org. The paper copy may be delivered to the NGO Secretariat offices in Juba, Southern Sudan.
2. This application will be checked by the NGO Forum Secretariat to ensure that it is properly and fully completed and that NGO Forum membership criteria are met. Applicants with incomplete applications will be informed by the Secretariat.
3. NGOs which satisfy the application process as reviewed by the Secretariat will be put forward to the appropriate Steering Committee for review. These will then be passed to the Country Director’s Group of National NGO Forum be approved by a simple 2/3s majority of members in attendance but with a quorum of no less than 20 NGO members.
4. The decision of acceptance, or rejection, will be made known in writing to the applicant organization by the NGO Secretariat.
5. The accepted NGO will then make payment to the NGO Secretariat of the membership fee according to the annual membership fee scale which will be receipted. (For the current membership fee scale, please contact the NGO Secretariat at coordinator@southsudanngoforum.org.)  A member, once accepted, has two months in which to make payment before their application expires. All members are expected to make full membership fee payment. Should an NGO be unable to make the payment they may submit a letter of explanation to the appropriate Steering Committee detailing why they are unable to make the payment and request a deferment until such a time as they can pay or suggest a payment plan. The Steering Committee retains the right to accept or reject the request.