The purpose of the Secretariat is to support the fulfillment of the Forum’s purpose, vision, and core functions. The Secretariat provides strategic, technical, and logistical support to the Forum’s coordination and advocacy work and helps to ensure the best use of opportunities, resources, and expertise to further the Forum’s influence on humanitarian policy and practice.
Currently, the Forum secretariat is composed of 4 members: a director, an advocacy advisor, a safety advisor, a National NGO liaison officer.
- The LIF Director provides core support in managing the Forum initiatives and activities. The Director manages the staff and all operational and day-to-day activities of the Secretariat.
- The LIF Advocacy advisor leads the advocacy efforts on protection, migration-related and operational issues called for by the membership or the Steering Committee. The advocacy advisor chairs and represents the Forum Advocacy Working Group (Advocacy WG). The advocacy advisor also provides support and acts on an advisory role for the designated INGO co-lead at the Migrant and Refugee Platform (MRP).
- The LIF Safety advisor facilitates INGO security meetings, briefings and workshops as often as necessary and ensures information is disseminated to relevant stakeholders.
- The LIF NNGO Liaison officer ensures liaison with and acts as the INGO Forum focal point for NNGOs, in line with the forum objective to increase engagement and provide support to the Libyan NNGOs.
Currently, the Forum chairs 3 active working groups:
- The Advocacy Working Group (Advocacy WG), chaired by the Advocacy advisor and a dedicated co-chair from the forum members. The Advocacy WG provides the platform to member INGOs to identify, coordinate, and execute opportunities for joint advocacy in the Libya response, while also linking to international platforms to amplify key issues as appropriate. The Advocacy WG also focuses on updating the LIF advocacy strategy.
- The Finance-admin-HR Working Group (FAHRWG), co-chaired by two Forum members’ admin or finance coordinators, on a voluntary basis. This working group provides a platform for sharing information and fostering synergies between the admin and finance managers.
- The Security and Safety Working Group (SSWG), chaired by the Safety Advisor, supports the members with information sharing, analysis and guidance to enhance situational awareness and inform operational decision-making.