Cobus Best

Background

About Cobus Best

Capacity Building and Support In the last 12 months I have been focused on building the capacity of the national staff through targeted skills building and improving analysis and information review. This was achieved through heavy-handed involvement in formalizing day-to-day security work-flow and forming a collaborative and mentor-driven work relationship with each SFP. One such event, also a highlight of the past 12 months, was the Security Focal Point Workshop, held in Baghdad. Through this workshop I facilitated focused and charged discussion and analysis of Mercy Corps Security Procedures. The culmination of the workshop, and ultimate outcome, was the writing of the first comprehensive Security Management Plan for MC Iraq, which included Security Standard Operating Procedures, outlined Contingency Plans and a broad training matrix. Administrative and General •Write-up of Safety and Security Management Plan, SOPs, and contingency plans. •Conducted several Safety and Security training events in each office location including topics: Kidnapping Awareness, Basic First Aid, Emergency Drills and IEDs, UXOs and mines awareness. •Also conducted some of these training topics for HQ staff in Portland. •Established and encouraged HoOs to use a standardized staff-tracking system. •Established a set of guidelines for expatriate movement protocols in Baghdad and Basra, including pre-vetted social venues. •Worked with Security Focal Points and support staff in implementing country-wide orientation plans. Regional support At the end of 2012, I assisted the regional team (lead by the SRGE Team) in setting up and developing security protocols in order to support and better enable programing. This included a 2 week deployment, and culminated with the release of a comprehensive set of Security SOPs and detailed guidelines on conducting programming in identified areas.