Until very recently, South Sudan – the world’s newest state – had been at war for almost half a century. The long armed conflict had a devastating impact not only on the lives and livelihoods of millions of South Sudanese, but also on government and state institutions, resulting in heavily reduced capacity, an erosion of legitimacy, and a breakdown in state-society relations. Today, South Sudanese people hope that their nation’s independence is followed by the effective delivery of basic services and economic progress, without which people are unlikely to see an improvement in their well-being or livelihoods, or stable state-building at a national level.

BBC correspondent for South Sudan and Sudan, James Copnall, will be guest speaker at a roundtable event hosted by the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC) andHumanitarian Policy Group[^](HPG) atODI[^]on Wednesday 28/11/2012. This event will bring together journalists, researchers and academics to explore the political, humanitarian and development issues faced by South Sudan at present.