About Us
At LSI, we embody a forward looking and solution-oriented approach, coordinating a global network of professionals dedicated to championing the rights, protection and empowerment of local staff, supporting military, humanitarian, development, and diplomatic missions. Our diverse coalition is dedicated to safeguarding not just the safety and dignity of these essential personnel but also fortifying their legal rights. We stand as a beacon of advocacy and support, committed to shaping a world where every local staff member’s contributions are recognised, their rights protected, and their potential fully realised.
CO CHAIR
Sara de Jong
Sara de Jong, Professor in Politics at the University of York (UK), serves as co-chair of Local Staff International (LSI). She is also a co-founder of Sulha Alliance, the only UK charity specialised in supporting Afghan interpreters employed by the British Army. Her research, which investigates the claims to rights and protection by Iraqi and Afghan interpreters, other local employed civilians and their advocates, was inspired by the observation that from early colonial conquest to Vietnam, Algeria and Afghanistan…
CO CHAIR
Marcus Grotian
Marcus Grotian spent 220 days in Afghanistan, Kunduz, in 2011, and in 2015 he founded the sponsorship network Afghan Local Staff with other supporters. Just as the local staff supported German troops in Afghanistan the network helps Afghans understand the foreign culture and bureaucratic rules in Germany. In 2021, the network supported local staff in Afghanistan in trying to overcome the many bureaucratic hurdles of visa issuance by renting safe-houses and paying for airline tickets where needed...
Our Team
The whole is more than the sum of its part. Meet the team.
Jon Feltham
Jon is a 25-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces whose commitment to advocating for…
Janice Fischer
Janice is a Fortune 500 trained freelance transformational executive and board member…
Wendy Long
Wendy is a retired Federal Public Servant and first-generation Canadian with a profound sense…
Our Mission
Our mission is to advocate for the protection, rights and dignity of Local Staff (LS) employed or subcontracted by states and (international) organisations to support humanitarian, development, diplomatic…
Our Story
The journey from first meeting in Potsdam, Germany, to the United Nations, to Brussels and London to our first formal founding meeting in Berlin, Germany in November 2023.