OUR STORY
Our Timeline
Local Staff International was formed in response to a long-standing global gap: the absence of consistent, accountable protections for locally engaged staff who support international missions.
Its origins lie in cross-border advocacy and research efforts dating back to 2019, when international advocates and former Afghan local staff first came together in London to identify shared challenges and the need for coordinated action. These concerns intensified in 2021, as the withdrawal from Afghanistan exposed systemic failures to protect locally engaged civilians—despite years of warnings from advocacy organisations and experts. In the lead-up to the fall of Kabul, international coalitions called on allied governments to act, generating widespread media attention but limited durable solutions.
Recognising that these failures were not unique to Afghanistan, representatives from advocacy initiatives across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States convened in Berlin in May 2023 to lay the groundwork for a permanent international entity. That work culminated in the formal founding of Local Staff International in November 2023.
Explore the timeline below to learn more:
November 2023
Formal founding meeting of Local Staff International and election of the Board. Prof. Sara de Jong and Marcus Grotian are elected as co-chairs of the board, alongside board members with expertise in management, finance, defence issues and veteran affairs, communication, and refugee support.
May 2023
Berlin
Representatives from advocacy initiatives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States meet in Berlin, Germany to prepare the foundation of an international entity to engage with states and international organisations to advise them on policymaking concerning the protection, rights and support for Local Staff in the present and future.
The meeting was organised by Marcus Grotian and Prof. Sara de Jong and funded and supported by the British Academy and the German Patenschaftsnetzwerk Afghanische Ortskräfte.
AUGUST 2021
Fall of Kabul
Afghanistan is taken over by the Taliban when international troops withdraw, leading to last-minute evacuation efforts of Local Staff. Marcus Grotian and Dr. Sara de Jong are invited speakers at the online event ‘Europe Calling: “Locally Employed Civilians in Afghanistan – How can we save those in need of protection now?”’, led by Sven Giegold (MEP, spokesperson for the German Greens in the European Parliament).
JUNE 2021
Advocacy organisations publish a collective letter
The letter calls upon the Heads of State and Governments in the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, France and Italy, as well as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg “to act immediately to evacuate Locally Engaged Civilians (LECs) and their families”, warning them that “time is running out to protect NATO’s local Afghan allies”.
The letter received international media coverage, including in The Times (UK); Der Tagesspiegel (Germany); Politiken (Denmark), Trouw (the Netherlands); The Guardian (Australia desk), and Business Insider.
June 2019
An International Advocates Knowledge Exchange Meeting was held in London, bringing together representatives of seven national advocacy and support initiatives and former Afghan local staff, to discuss joint efforts to address the protection and rights of Afghan (former) Locally Engaged Civilians, identifying common challenges and developing shared strategies.
The meeting was organised by Dr. Sara de Jong (University of York) with funding from the HEIF (Higher Education Innovation Fund).
April 2018
United Nations
The United Nations #ProtectLinguists Roundtable in New York in cooperation with Red T and partners from the international language community addresses the need for greater protection for translators and interpreters in armed conflict and post-conflict peacebuilding.
The roundtable, attended by Marcus Grotian and Dr. Sara de Jong, enabled broader networking with stakeholders from the linguistic community and representatives and refugee NGOs and strengthens the resolve to develop a united and international approach to the protection of local staff.
January 2018
The international language community, led by Linda Fitchett, chair of the AIIC Conflict Zone Interpreter Group, organised a cross-party hearing in the European Parliament (Brussels, Belgium) on how to protect former interpreters in conflict zones. The meeting, attended by Marcus Grotian and Dr. Sara de Jong, reinforces their view that there is a significant lack of regulative, administrative and organisational support for local staff.
November 2017