var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser.swf", "PictoBrowser", "500", "500", "8", "#EEEEEE"); so.addVariable("source", "sets"); so.addVariable("names", "Intissar Hsairi"); so.addVariable("userName", "JLNLF"); so.addVariable("userId", "81725662@N06"); so.addVariable("ids", "72157650995002226"); so.addVariable("titles", "on"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "on"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "EEEEEE"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser150226221956"); Prominent civil society activist, Intissar Hsairi (front [...]]]> http:/

Prominent civil society activist, Intissar Hsairi (front row center in pink), was assassinated in her vehicle along with her aunt last night. The motive for the assassination remains unknown, and those responsible are still at large. At the time of her assassination, Intissar was reporting to the home of family in critical need of food and monetary aid.

Intissar was a prominent and outspoken activist, and humanitarian who had more than 8,000 followers on her personal Facebook Page, the most popular social media outlet in Libya. Ms. Hsairi was outspoken about the protection of freedom of expression, freedom of association and culture. She was a member of Tanweer Organization for Culture and Arts, an organizational member of the Civil Society Incubator Center. At the Center, Intissar planned events such as book fairs, and one particularly memorable and fantastic comedy night – the first of it’s kind in Tripoli.

We extend our deepest condolences to her family, and to Tripoli’s activists, most of whom knew her well. It has been an honor working with Intissar, and a privilege to continue and promote the causes she championed with renewed commitment.

We ask our civil society peers to work toward a unified government in order to achieve security, and to continue the progress of our democratic transition.

When we exit this violent time our history, we will have women and men like Intissar to thank for our freedoms, and ultimately our dignity. As you read this, please pray that her soul and loved ones be in peace at this time.

The Goodwill Charter Campaign was successfully launched today, June 19th, with exclusive interviews with the campaign team on four major television networks, including the state network “Al-Wataniya”, the more conservative “Al-Nabaa”, the more liberal leaning “Al-ahrar”, and Al-Assema. The campaign was surprisingly received with support across political factions, despite the charter taking hard political [...]]]>

The Goodwill Charter Campaign was successfully launched today, June 19th, with exclusive interviews with the campaign team on four major television networks, including the state network “Al-Wataniya”, the more conservative “Al-Nabaa”, the more liberal leaning “Al-ahrar”, and Al-Assema. The campaign was surprisingly received with support across political factions, despite the charter taking hard political positions on contentious issues such as the nature of the State, the role of women and minorities in the state, the separation of powers and the elimination of armed factions.

The Goodwill Charter is a 17 article social contract between voters and the candidates of the House of  Representatives. The charter reflects what the Libyan public and civil society believe ought to be the priorities of the House of Representatives to be elected on June 25th. Candidates who sign the charter are given airtime with their constituents through television and radio interviews, spots on social media, and through SMS/Text messages to their constituents.

To read more about the charter in English, visit the “Goodwill Charter” page under the programs tab, or www.Almithaq.ly to view the campaign (in Arabic).

Appearing on Al Naaba, Libya Al Ahrar and Alassema through July 20th. Much gratitude to Mr. Mohamed Alakkari and the ArtTech team for this generous contribution.

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Tripoli, Sunday, February, 9th, the New Libya Foundation and partner organizations launched the “Voters Guide” (ourvotersguide.ly), an online guide revealing the positions of the Constitutional Drafting Assembly candidates on the most critical issues in the constitution. The “Voters Guide” website went live during the press conference, [...]]]> http:/

Tripoli, Sunday, February, 9th,  the New Libya Foundation and partner organizations launched the “Voters Guide” (ourvotersguide.ly), an online guide revealing the positions of the Constitutional Drafting Assembly candidates on the most critical issues in the constitution. The “Voters Guide” website went live during the press conference, revealing candidate positions on some of the most controversial issues on the minds of Libyans, including who interprets the Islamic Sharia Law, whether non-citizens in Libya should have a path to citizenship, the rights of women, freedoms and general rights, and whether former regime loyalists should be included in the constitutional dialogues.

New Libya Foundation Executive Director spoke about her personal reasons for taking part in the guide, which also focuses on the constitution making process “Our first experience with an elected congress have taught us that without clear guarantees for a democratic process of governance, personal and political agenda’s inevitably take-over. The public would like to know which candidates are going to guarantee a constitution making process that is inclusive, transparent, and participatory, because it’s our constitution, not the Asssembly. We’re going to candidates accountable.

The 15 organizations leading the initiative represent a range of constituencies, including women, youth, all of Libya’s ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities.

The Voters Guide presents candidates an opportunity to clarify their positions on most of the critical articles in a constitution, including State organization, Citizenship, Economic Rights, General rights and freedoms, Women’s Rights (equality in rights), Disabilities Rights, and Community Rights.

The launch event on 7/7/2013 was a successful and pleasurable occasion attended by those whom have been most committed to the support of Libyan civil society. We’d like to extend a special thank you to Tripoli civil society for attendance on this occasion, and to the International [...]]]> Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The launch event on 7/7/2013 was a successful and pleasurable occasion attended by those whom have been most committed to the support of Libyan civil society. We’d like to extend a special thank you to Tripoli civil society for attendance on this occasion, and to the International Non-Profits that joined. From the GNC, the Hon. Mohamed Ali Abdallah, and the Hon. Ala Mgarief. From the Government, Mr. Abdurrahman Arebi, President of the Civil Society Support Center, and Ms. Lamia Bousidra, Deputy Minister of Media and Information. A very special thank you to H.E. Ambassador of the United States of America, Deborah Jones, H.E. Ambassador of Canada, Michael Grant, H.E. Ambassador of the Netherlands, Antonius Lansink, H.E. Ambassador of Germany, Christian Much for their generous attendance and attention to Libyan civil society. As always, we’d like to thank the team and LITC and IFES for their generous support, thank you to the businessmen and women whom attended on Saturday, and finally, thank you to our friends and neighbors whom opened the Center with us.

The Incubator holds similar monthly networking events for CSOs with guests from internationals organizations, decision makers, potential donors and other stakeholders. The intent of these networking events is to bring together parties that can provide the resources and connections to advance the causes of member CSOs, and citizens at large.

The Leadership in Civil Society (LCS) Program, launched on March 24 and began with three weeks of intensive seminars. The first week was a workshop covering Project Management, the second week focused on Leadership, and the third was Civil Society & Democracy. The participants experienced a rigorous [...]]]> Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The Leadership in Civil Society (LCS) Program, launched on March 24 and began with three weeks of intensive seminars. The first week was a workshop covering Project Management, the second week focused on Leadership, and the third was Civil Society & Democracy.
The participants experienced a rigorous and productive introduction to the Leadership in Civil Society (LCS) program. These initial workshops were followed by individual meetings with participants and center project managers.  This allowed specialized assistance to the needs of each participating civil society organization. Meeting the individual needs of these organizations creates a foundation for the future management abilities these organizations.

The LCS program use Project Cycle Management (PCM) and the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) to instruct the essentials of creating fruitful programs from start to finish. In conjunction with instruction of PCM and the LFA, the LCS maintains a mentorship with participant CSOs. This allows CSOs to utilize their newly acquired skills to efficiently construct programs. The use of these systematic approaches to program management aims to promote local ownership and enhance the role of stakeholders in the planning and accountability process.

On July 18, participants, mentors and coaches gathered at the New Libya Foundation incubator to mark the end of the six-month Leadership in Civil Society pilot program . After months of hard work and collaboration, the closing ceremony provided a chance for the entire group to come [...]]]> Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

On July 18, participants, mentors and coaches gathered at the New Libya Foundation incubator to mark the end of the six-month Leadership in Civil Society pilot program . After months of hard work and collaboration, the closing ceremony provided a chance for the entire group to come together one last time and share lessons learned.

Participants spoke informally about how their organizations and projects evolved over the course of the program, and they reflected on the main challenges they faced as civil society leaders trying to manage teams, raise money and execute projects. The all-day event focused in particular on challenges faced and what participants learned from their failures. NLF staff also participated in the evaluation exercises by presenting the main successes, challenges and lessons learned from its first LCS program. Building on these reflections, and in order to encourage better support for civil society development in Libya, NLF has prepared a written evaluation of the LCS program that discusses the main contextual challenges to program implementation.

Those who played a role in the program but were outside of Tripoli found a way to participate in the momentous occasion nonetheless. Two participants and two coaches spoke to the group via Skype, sharing their experiences as civil society activists and their views on the program, respectively. Dr. Iya Khalil, one of the co-founders of NLF, also called in and was able to exchange a few final words  with participants.  Dr. Khalil highlighted some of the challenges participants will face as leaders in their industry and shared her approaches to those she faced launching her own bio-tech start-up 12 years ago.

The participants received certificates of completion of the program as well as personalized awards. NLF congratulates each and every one of them and looks forward to staying in touch and witnessing their success in the years ahead.

As Civil society in Libya is beginning to enjoy the freedom of expression and association, it lacks traction to have an impact in responding to community needs. CSOs need public support, funding, volunteers, and expertise, all of which are potentially available within society itself. How can they [...]]]> Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

As Civil society in Libya is beginning to enjoy the freedom of expression and association, it lacks traction to have an impact in responding to community needs. CSOs need public support, funding, volunteers, and expertise, all of which are potentially available within society itself. How can they draw from these resources?

CSOs also lack attention from the authorities and don’t have means to hold them accountable to their words when they succeed in engaging in a discussion. How can they change their standing when discussing with authorities?

These goals can be achieved through a strategic use of media.
In this spirit we held a seminar on Civil Society – media relations at the NLF “incubator” on the 20th of May, 2012. The speakers were Anne Applebaum, an American journalist, Jeremy Timmins, a British television developer, both counting on decades of experience and successes. Two Libyan journalists from radio and television kindly joined us to provide a sense of the context, and explain some of the challenges specific to Libya.

The seminar began with a full conference room, as the event attracted many civil society activists eager to learn how they could utilize the media to run effective campaigns. The hosts addressed several key issues, such as how to convey an informative and captivating message to the audience, how to raise awareness about your issue, how to broaden the public support for your activity.

The hope is for the development of a rich and strong link between the people and the information professionals. If the civil society organizations do not learn how to engage with their constituency and with the authorities through the media they risk to remain small, invisible and sadly…inconsequential.