INTERFACE HOME WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO REPORTS & PUBLICATIONS CONTACT Who We Are The Nordic International Support Foundation (NIS) was started by individuals with experience working on the Horn of Africa in response to what was seen as a lack of adequate donor policy and operational successes, specifically in Somalia. The heavy focus on humanitarian relief resulted in an environment where little or no support was given to help rebuild government institutions and services, therefore failing to address many of the fundamental causes of conflict in the country. From the beginning, NIS was driven by two main objectives: to support the emergence and strengthening of state structures and to be pragmatic. In addition to the practical security constraints faced by many donors in fragile states, there is also often a lack of organisations that are willing to address the political dimensions of stabilisation and recovery work. The first principle for any NIS project is that it will support political stabilisation through increased legitimacy for the authorities and ongoing state-building and reconciliation processes in the country. NIS is neither a humanitarian nor a development organisation, but operates in the gap between the two. Humanitarian and more traditional development policies often fail to address the challenges of political instability in fragile environments: either as a result of failing to accept the inherently political nature of stabilisation work or through failing to accept the need for immediate confidence building measure from the government before addressing more long-term issues. In many conflict affected countries populations are often suffering from a kind of "faith fatigue" where it is difficult to believe that yet another peace process or new regime will actually achieve anything. Work in politically-fragile environments that ignore the immediate need to provide populations some evidence of genuine change, risk hindering stabilisation efforts, at best; and potentially undermining state-building efforts, at worst. NIS is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with country offices in Somalia, Mali and Myanmar. Currently NIS has around 50 employees based between Oslo and the field. NIS Advisory Board In order for NIS to evolve as an organisation and foster meaningful international debate and policy innovation, we believe it is critical to have an advisory board composed of progressive, experienced and outspoken individuals to help guide the development of the organization. Currently NIS' Advisory Board is composed of three individuals: Erik Solheim: currently serving as the Chair of the OECD DAC, he has previously served as Minister of the Environment and Minister of International Development in Norway, and has also worked as a diplomat as part of the Norwegian delegation to the Sri Lanka peace negotiations. Nigel Roberts: has worked in international development for most of the last 40 years, including as Country Director for the World Bank in several countries, and as the director and co-author for the WDR 2011 on conflict, security and development. Sigrid Kaag: currently serving as the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), she has a wealth of experience including previously leading the joint Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-UN (OPCW-UN) Joint Mission for the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons. * NIS is a non-profit foundation registered with the Brønnøysund Register Centre, a government agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry. What We Do NIS works with international donors and national governments to support the state-building and reconciliation processes necessary to stabilise fragile political environments. This support often takes the form of projects that provide concrete benefits to conflict-affected communities such as supporting the delivery of basic services and building light infrastructure. NIS has highly-skilled national and diaspora staff in-country that can effectively navigate the complex political and security landscapes that characterise politically unstable environments and maintain a focus on the immediate-term needs to achieve visible results. This allows NIS to work with the political nuances of complex environments to provide the best chances for successful interventions. Through working closely with the authorities and/or parties to reconciliation processes to ensure the political relevance of projects, NIS seeks first and foremost to achieve politically stabilising effects in addition to any humanitarian or development benefits. Through joint identification and implementation of field-based interventions with the authorities, NIS maintains a low-profile and assists the authorities to meet community expectations for immediate, tangible benefits from new regimes and reconciliation processes. Meeting basic needs for the population is the most rational place to start building trust and legitimacy in reconciliation processes and state-building activities. NIS has a demonstrated ability to design and implement field-based interventions in environments where many other agencies are unwilling or unable to operate. This is evidenced by NIS' successful implementation of stabilisation interventions in areas still subject to asymmetric conflict. As a result, NIS carries out a wide range of work from political and security analysis, to the design and management of financing mechanisms and funds, to the physical construction infrastructure. The exact nature of the project becomes secondary as long as it meets a genuine need of the population and is implemented in a way that strengthens the relationship between communities and the state, rather than robs the state of an opportunity to boost public confidence. NIS PROVE Principles Based on the above, NIS has developed the PROVE principles. PROVE stands for: Political, Relevant, Opportune, Verified and Expedited. The principles are an attempt to address what we see as the greatest obstacles to effective policies and interventions in fragile states and areas of political instability The need for urgent action in these fragile environments cannot be overstated: populations not only suffer from an absence of essential needs, but also from a lack of faith that their governments can provide them. A project conceived of under the PROVE principles would need to observe the following criteria: Political – the project must be implemented in close cooperation with the authorities in ways that boost their legitimacy and political reputation among the population; Relevant – projects must provide benefits that cater to the most immediate needs of the people, including security, basic amenities/infrastructure, and livelihoods; Opportune – in terms of timing, partners and location, projects should be implemented in ways that respond to and counter a loss of trust in the ability of the state to meet essential needs that provide maximum strategic stabilisation benefits; Verified – projects must meet a genuine need of the local population, and thus must be verified with the local community and authorities; and Expedited – once identified and verified, projects must be implemented quickly and with minimal time lag between initial discussions and actual project implementation. Countries of Operation Somalia NIS' activities in Somalia are focused mainly on high visibility, rapid implementation and multiple impact projects. A key aspect of our approach is the systematic involvement of the authorities – at the local, regional, and federal levels – with the local communities actively involved in the identification, prioritisation, planning and implementation of projects. Each project is designed to maximise the potentials for boosting economic opportunities, security, and normalising/establishing a relationship between the general population (including private sector businesses) and the government. Since 2013, NIS has been expanding its operations outside of Mogadishu to include areas newly liberated from Al-Shabaab. NIS’ approach of quick delivery of peace dividends in still-vulnerable areas was recognised as essential for securing areas taken through military action, leading to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with AMISOM. NIS has been one of the only organisations in the country to have such an MoU with AMISOM. NIS has also been one of the first organisations to deliver tangible basic services infrastructure in places like Baidoa, Kismayo, Beledweyne, Jowhar, Galkayo and Wajid. NIS’ approach of conducting quick, common-sense assessments and focussing on tangible deliverables for local populations has helped to set a standard for other actors in the country by demonstrating that speed and relevance are not mutually exclusive and, in fact, are both necessities in fragile environments. Mali In 2012, the occupation of northern Mali by Tuareg separatists and militant Islamists, compounded by a military coup, plunged the country into a state of unprecedented political, social and economic turmoil. The crisis revealed the fragility of Mali's institutions. In 2013, NIS established itself in Mali with the overall objective of strengthening the legitimacy of Malian authorities in the newly liberated areas of the country and increasing their capacity to respond to the needs and expectations of the population. This was done through the implementation of timely, visible and accountable projects and through the involvement of the authorities – at national, regional and local levels - in the prioritisation, planning, implementation and management. NIS has built effective networks and secured access to key actors through its country offices in Bamako and Gao, which are operated by experienced Malian staff possessing effective and proven collaborative relationships with key actors at all levels of government, the private sector, and civil society. Myanmar Myanmar has seen one of the world's longest-lasting civil wars. The causes of conflict are numerous and intertwined. In 2011, the newly elected President Thein Sein, supported by chief peace envoy Minister U Aung Min, initiated a process of change towards peace. NIS established the Peace Support Fund (PSF) with funding from DFID in May 2014. The goal of the PSF is to increase the likelihood of sustainable peace in Myanmar. PSF provides funding to demand-driven, small-scaled and tailored initiatives which either provide direct, tangible support to the peace process or seek to directly contribute to a reduction in inter-communal violence. Funded projects range in size and duration and focus on supporting cross-sectoral, political dialogue through, for instance, state and national level consultations, workshops, negotiation preparation and training, addressing peace information needs and similar initiatives. Read more about the PSF at www.peacesupportfund.org At the beginning of 2012 following a request from the Government of Myanmar, the Norwegian government set up the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative (MPSI). NIS provided administrative and management support to the initiative. In managing a small project fund under MPSI, NIS dealt directly with local project partners. NIS' support contributed to securing fast-track responses to requests for funding to support important peace process workshops, training activities, consultations and needs assessments. The MPSI was officially closed at an event in Yangon with the OECD DAC Chair at the beginning of 2015. Project Portfolio Please download the NIS Project Portfolio document for a full list and short descriptions of NIS' completed and ongoing projects (updated August 2015). Reports & Publications NIS PROVE Principles (NIS, October 2014) NIS Annual Report 2013 (NIS, September 2014) Testing Ceasefires, Building Trust: Myanmar Peace Support Initiative Operational Review (Chris Johnson and Michael Lidauer, March 2014) The reshaping of West Africa after Mu'ammar Qaddafi's fall (Roland Marchal, 22 October 2012) Is a military intervention in Mali unavoidable? (Roland Marchal, 22 October 2012) Boko Haram and the resilience of militant Islam in northern Nigeria (Roland Marchal, 13 July 2012) The coup in Mali: the result of a long-term crisis or spillover from the Libyan civil war? (Roland Marchal, 15 May 2012) Contact Headquarters Oslo, Norway Visiting address Brenneriveien 5 (2nd floor) 0182 Oslo Postal address PO Box 9025 Grønland 0133 Oslo Telephone +47 21 39 60 37 E-mail post@nis-foundation.org Christopher Eads Senior Partner Eric Sevrin Senior Partner Kassim Gabowduale Country Representative Somalia Nouhoum Ganaba Country Representative Mali Elizabeth Armstrong Director of the Peace Support Fund in Myanmar Wish to raise a concern? Click here for our whistleblowing form. Vacancies Vacant positions at NIS in Norway are usually announced on this page, as well as in other relevant networks and career services. Vacant positions at NIS in other countries where NIS operates are usually announced publicly in national and/or international newspapers. There are currently no vacant positions at NIS. ©2015 NIS-Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer