NCCI Bureaucratic Liaison Unit The Bureaucratic Liaison Unit (BLU) project aims to lead the work of the NGO forum on issues related to government legislation and regulations affecting work of NGOs in Iraq, such that NGOs are more effectively able to deliver humanitarian, post-emergency and early recovery programming for millions of Iraqis in need.  
Most importantly, the BLU will act as an information resource for NGOs regarding the relevant and updated procedures, contacts and best practice for NGOs for: registration, visas, taxes, importation, reporting and other administrative services and requirements with the authorities in central and northern Iraq. To do so, the BLU will provide relevant legal and regulatory information in English and Arabic, as well as templates, contact lists and associated costs for service providers and procedures. With support from NCCI’s Information Management Unit, the BLU will develop guidance material to support NGO relationships with primary government counterparts as identified and directed by the NCCI Executive Board and Executive Director. The BLU will serve as a guide to NGOs regarding the official and unofficial best practices regarding the bureaucracy in Iraq and provide bilateral and coordinated responses to enquiries.
The BLU will develop and maintain productive relationships with relevant actors, including the local authorities, United Nations and diplomatic community. In particular, local and high level liaison with national and regional authorities will enable timely information gathering and analysis of opportunities for advocacy. The BLU will facilitate strategic engagement and timely information sharing between the NGO forum with Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), contributing to an effective partnership in support of NGOs operating in Iraq.
The BLU will track the trends and impact of bureaucratic impediments on NGO operations, through regular surveys or other appropriate means, in order to enable timely and targeted advocacy with authorities and influencers.
The BLU will ensure strong linkages within the forum groups to enable strategic engagement and advocacy by the Executive Board, Executive Director, Advocacy Coordinator and HR/Admin Working Group. Provision of regular information to the designated leads for inclusion in relevant working groups, external meetings and advocacy engagement of the NGO Steering Committee will allow NCCI’s capacity to deliver the required support.
With a mandate for service provision, the Bureaucratic Liaison Unit will:
	Maintain an accessible repository of laws, regulations, circulars and other government instructions that are relevant to the work of NGOs in Iraq
	Be familiar with the content of laws, regulations, circulars and other government instructions that are relevant to the work of NGOs in Iraq, in order to advise NGOs of the existence of relevant clauses. (However, interpretation and application of such clauses is left to the responsibility of individual NGOs and their legal advisers).
	Collect, analyze and disseminate information on trends and impact of regulations and procedures on NGO operations, including through position papers and information management products.
	Enable timely and effective advocacy by NCCI groups and members, such that the regulatory environment facilitates NGOs to deliver assistance at scale and according to vulnerability.
	Contribute to NGO engagement with the government and other key stakeholders regarding the development of laws and regulations that affect the work of NGOs in Iraq (through, for example, tracking how issues are affecting NGOs, developing appropriate briefing papers, and attending relevant meetings).
	As directed by the Executive Director and the Executive Board, map, develop and maintain contacts with key government staff/advisors involved in regulatory issues affecting NGOs, in order to keep updated on regulations and