Book excerpt: Amidst jubilant celebration in July 2011, the new Republic of South Sudan entered the international stage albeit as one of the least developed countries in the world. Against a backdrop of chronic under-development, the country is acutely vulnerable to recurring conflict and climatic shocks. South Sudan is a context that challenges normal development paradigms and fits awkwardly in the humanitarian relief recovery post-conflict development continuum. This complexity has not always been reflected in the strategies of either donors or implementing agencies. Enormous challenges remain, and humanitarian and development actors face multiple, competing priorities: meeting emergency humanitarian needs; strengthening community resilience; addressing the underlying drivers of conflict; promoting the development of sustainable livelihoods; ensuring that humanitarian and development assistance promote equitable development; supporting the government to protect vulnerable groups; strengthening civil society; and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery while simultaneously strengthening national institutions and ultimately empowering the government to assume responsibility for meeting the needs of its citizens. Over the coming years, donors have a window of opportunity to support the fledgling government to tackle chronic poverty and insecurity and make meaningful progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. This paper highlights ten priority areas for action that, in the view of NGOs operating in South Sudan and based on lessons learnt during the CPA interim period, must be prioritized by donors in the first years of the country's independence so as to ensure the best possible results for the people of South Sudan.