The Southern African Liaison Office (SALO) is a South African-based civil society organization which contributes to building peace and security through facilitating dialogue and consensus between national, regional and international actors. Focused predominantly on Southern Africa, especially Zimbabwe and Swaziland, in its early years, SALO  is now increasingly being consulted on the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and other African regions, as well as the Middle East.

SALO’s approach to building international consensus includes creating ‘safe spaces’ for formal and informal dialogues among and between state and non-state actors, informing key policy makers, and generating in-depth research and analysis.

SALO has offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, but largely works within a ‘virtual office’ network of core staff, flexible practitioners, policy shapers, the diplomatic community, NGOs, CBOs and the research and policy sectors.  With a multi-disciplinary Board of Directors guiding their work and providing strategic oversight, assisted by a Reference Group, SALO’s small management team and staff operate efficiently through a lean, flat organisational structure.

VISION

SALO is an essential catalyst for strategic engagement between African government and civil society stakeholders, and their global partners, on critical areas of democracy, peace and security.

MISSION

SALO contributes to African-driven policy positions for countries in crisis and conflict, through advocacy, dialogue, research and knowledge resourcing. SALO enables alignment and consensus-building between government and civil society stakeholders, and their global partners.