The Foreign Service Journal, December 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018 37 The FSN Advocacy Council has been representing USAID’s global FSN employees since 2005. BY SAF I A AL- SAAD Safia Al-Saad is a Foreign Service National working at USAID/Jordan as a human resources special- ist in the Executive Office. She is active on the FSN Advocacy Council. I can still remember writing my campaign paragraph asking FSNs around the world to elect me to USAID’s FSN Advocacy Council. I was excited and saw howmy experience as a human resources specialist with USAID/ Jordan, interacting with colleagues on all matters, could benefit the council. My work experience prepared me for articulating FSNs’ wants and desires with respect to enhancing their future career paths and livelihoods. I felt honored to be elected co-chair by my colleagues and to have the opportunity to apply my experience and vision toward realizing the FSN Advocacy Council’s goals. The newly elected 2017-2018 FSN Advocacy Council gathered in Washington, D.C., in February 2017. We came frommany dif- ferent countries and cultures, but we were all focused on one goal that week—upholding the mission of the FSN Advocacy Council to increase transparency and communication between USAID/ Washington and overseas missions. We wanted to build on the previous council’s achievements and amplify the voice of the global FSN community. The dozen of us who traveled to participate in the team- building and planning meeting represented the 4,900 FSNs who comprise half of USAID’s global workforce. FSNs serve in a wide variety of positions, from senior technical experts advising host Advocating for Foreign Service Nationals ON FSN PERSPECTIVES FOCUS governments to budget analysts securing funding and procure- ment agents negotiating the best value for money. We provide critical technical expertise, host-country knowledge and adminis- trative support to our missions around the world. Our local knowl- edge and cultural awareness add to the agency’s overall credibility when partnering with host-country counterparts. The council is tasked with representing FSN views, ideas and concerns and promoting better understanding of, and engagement in, USAID operations and programmatic policy. It also addresses their concerns, advocates for FSN interests, builds trust and encourages active contribution to initiatives and programs affect- ing USAID equities. The council connects the field with informa- tion flowing in both directions, making sure FSN voices are heard. Charting a New Course Dusty human resources files document a first worldwide FSN conference in September 2002, which was only for Department of State staff. A year later, a second conference included USAID. In 2004 USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios held an agencywide FSN conference and declared 2005 the “Year of the FSN.”This gave birth to the first iteration of a USAID FSN Advisory Council, and several regional conferences were held. From then on, there was an active USAID FSN Advisory Council with Washington and field-based participants, but no face-to-face gatherings until 2012.