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Global Interagency Security Forum

Formerly EISF
Member login Member chat

Making the Most of your Membership

On this page, you can find out more about how to make the most of your GISF membership and the services that you now have access to.

How to create a member account

  1. Once you become a GISF member, you will receive a welcome message with information on how to access your full member benefits, including the member-only area of the website.
  2. A member of the secretariat will create an account for you.
  3. Please check your junk folder for a WordPress email if you have not received your login details. You can contact megan@gisf.ngo for assistance.

Please note that access to the members’ area is limited to up to three primary points of contact from within your member organisation. Your name, organisation, and email address will be made visible to other GISF members.

How to log in

  1. In the top right-hand corner of the website, you will find a ‘Member login’ link.
  2. Click the link and enter your login details

What to do if you forget your website login details

  1. On the login page, under the details form, there is a link for ‘Password recovery’. Select this link to receive an email allowing you to update your password.
  2. If this does not work, please reach out to any member of the secretariat, the emails for whom can be found on the contacts page on our website.

If you are experiencing any issues accessing the member website, please contact the PMO team at tara@gisf.ngo or megan@gisf.ngo.

GISF Chat

The GISF Chat is built on top of a tool called Mattermost. 

About the GISF Chat Facility

  • Please note that access to the GISF chat is automatically granted for your three primary SFP contacts- in addition you may request to add regional colleagues. Technical specialists are also permitted in select channels on request (i.e., country director or SFP for a specific context, or an IT colleague in the digital channel, etc.). Please contact the Project and Membership team to request access. 
  • GISF Chat is deployed on a server using best practice security in an EU data centre. The server is backed up once every 24 hours. 
  • The platform is designed to help teams and communities communicate quickly and in an efficient manner. 
  • The GISF chat on Mattermost is open-source and self-hosted. This means that it would be very difficult for someone to hide deliberately malicious malware. It also means that GISF controls the usage and location of the data. 

Creating a Chat Account

Via the GISF website

  • In the top right corner of the GISF homepage, you will find a link to the GISF chat.
  • The link will open our chat and you will see the login page. Enter your details there.

Via the desktop app

  • Download software from https://mattermost.com
  • The first time you use the software, you must add the GISF server
  • In “Server Display Name” type “GISF”
  • In “Server URL” type https://chat.gisf.ngo
  • Then click”Add”

Joining Channels on GISF Chat

  • In order to allow the best and most secure communications, we have several channels on our GISF Chat platform. 
  • Currently, there are 19 channels, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Pakistan, Ukraine, West Africa, and Digital Security. 
  • The channels are sorted by contexts and themes, allowing individuals based or interested in specific regions to ask questions and share information with others. 
  • Utilise the ‘@channel’ function to draw the attention of everyone in the channel! 

Request Security Focal Point (SFP) Change Form

Each member organisation appoints a primary, secondary, and tertiary SFP to represent them at GISF. Members may also include regional SFP contacts. If your organisation has recently undergone a change in employees, and there is a new SFP, please complete this form so we can keep up-to-date with GISF members. SFPs enjoy invitations to our roundtables, webinars, workshops, forums and more.

Factal Access

Factal is a breaking news technology company that helps the world’s largest organisations protect people, avoid disruptions and expedite disaster relief when global events put them at immediate risk. Teams of all sizes at over 230 NGOs use Factal’s fast, verified updates. You’ll be able to move faster to help protect staff, direct emergency resources, and keep tabs on fast-moving developments. Chat with their 24/7 newsroom and other security pros to get the situational intelligence you need. Receive alerts anywhere you need them, including via the popular Factal mobile app.

GISF members with full membership can access Factal’s unlimited real-time risk intelligence platform for free and bypass the additional Factal vetting process. GISF Associate members will also receive access, however full unlimited access to the platform may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with Factal’s internal definitions. If you are interested in accessing Factal services, please fill in this form, and we can process your request.

GISF Exercise Platform

The GISF Exercise Platform (GEP) is an exciting addition to the services GISF offers to its members, delivering innovative and realistic crisis management training to support improved practices across the sector.

The GEP allows members to access a range of engaging play-on-demand crisis scenarios, free of charge, that are relevant to the humanitarian and development sector. The simulations take place in a self-contained, high-fidelity space, enabling the exercising of crisis management skills and plans in a constantly evolving and dynamic environment. Members can run scenarios at their own pace, adjusting the length and intensity of the exercise to suit their needs.

You can find out more here. Any member interested in accessing the GEP should complete this form.

Event Types

This form serves the purpose of bringing clarity to the various events that GISF hosts and how you can get involved, either as an attendee or as a speaker or co-host.

Roundtables 

The aim of these events is to provide a safe space for peer to peer engagement and information exchange. Occasionally an external speaker will provide a technical update or members will be asked to start the conversation with their own observations to share their insights and experiences. All contributions are helpful.

Webinars

Webinars aim to facilitate information dissemination and discussion around a particular topic or context of interest. Technical experts, academics, and members present their knowledge and experience followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the points raised.

Workshops

At GISF, we organise at least four workshops each year – though, in recent years, we’ve run as many as 10. Our workshops offer organisations development opportunities beyond security, for example, for staff from different backgrounds and departments.

Bi-annual forum

Each year we host two forums for our members to come together with experts and explore cutting-edge issues affecting humanitarian security risk management. These forums usually take place in person but include a virtual component to allow for greater accessibility and are an excellent opportunity to network with counterparts from other NGOs.

Our tips for getting the most out of your GISF membership

 

Useful links