The American Liaison Network (ALN) is a key component of Country Team India’s (CTI) efforts to ensure the safety and security of U.S. citizens in India. As a Citizen Liaison Volunteer (CLV), you have an important role in helping the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in CTI keep the U.S. citizen community informed and, in extraordinary circumstances, helping CTI deliver emergency services to U.S. citizens. As a CLV, you are expected to be an active part of the U.S. citizen and CLV communities, maintaining regular communication with your CTI post, as well as other CLVs, working together to continuously identify the needs and vulnerabilities of the U.S. citizen community in India.
What do CLVs do?
As a CLV you may be asked to:
- Disseminate information as directed by CTI to the U.S. citizen community in your ALN zone;
- Be an on-the-ground resource to help CTI understand issues of concern to U.S. citizens and share information that might further post’s consular operations;
- Report on available local resources for U.S. citizens in your ALN zone, identify gaps, and when possible, seek solutions to fill those gaps;
- Identify risks for potential crises and security issues in your ALN zone, identify gaps in preparedness for the U.S. citizen community;
- In exigent situations only, and at post’s explicit direction, help post provide emergency services to U.S. citizens;
- Maintain local contacts in your ALN zone, including U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen expatriates, which might be of use to CTI consular operations;
- Encourage U.S. citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP);
- Identify for post’s consideration individuals who may be willing to serve as an alternate CLV for your ALN zone or as a CLV in another part of the country.
Important:
- You are not a representative of the U.S. government or CTI posts.
- You are not compensated for performing this role.
- You are not a government employee, are not a spokesperson, and are not a consular officer or consular agent.
- You are asked to refer all media or legal inquiries to your CTI post.
- You also must refer to the Embassy all general requests to explain policies, procedures, or services beyond what is publicly available.
- You must safeguard the privacy of personal information that is provided to you in the course of your duties. Some of the information that you will receive from the U.S. Department of State in your role as a CLV is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, when it is maintained by the Department. You must not use or disseminate this information to others, except as necessary to perform your duties as a CLV.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY
In the event of a crisis, our foremost concern is your safety. Do not put yourself at personal risk to deliver alerts, information, or services. When you are in a safe location, you should contact the consular section so that we can confirm your welfare and whereabouts. Be aware of your surroundings and report information that can help consular officers assess the situation. This will help the Embassy and the Department of State understand where there are needs to be met and how best to respond.
The Consular Section transmits alerts to U.S. citizens electronically, but there may be instances during crises where local infrastructure fails or inhibits the delivery of timely alerts. If necessary, these alerts for the local U.S. community may be relayed from the Embassy or Consulates to you for dissemination by any means available to you.
Distribute alerts and other situational/emergency information for the local U.S. community as relayed from the Embassy or Consulates to the members of your ALN zone. The Embassy will relay alerts to you via email, fax, or telephone/text. Arrange the fastest mode of dissemination of information possible in your ALN zone (this might include forwarding the alert to a group email list, a cascade telephone system, faxing, or “buddy” system, depending on the distribution of citizens within your zone.)
Remain accessible by email, telephone, or fax. If possible, your CTI post will email information directly to your email address. You can then distribute this alert by the means you previously set up. In addition, identical information promptly will appear on the Embassy New Delhi’s website at https://in.usembassy.gov.
Distribute alerts from the Embassy regarding the status of the emergency and suggested actions to be taken. Alerts must be transmitted verbatim without interpreting, paraphrasing, or expanding the alert.
Coordinate with Embassy personnel in choosing assembly areas and movement routes, should it be necessary to move people to a central location to facilitate communication, documentation, and/or evacuation.
Report back to your CTI post the results of efforts to contact the members of your ALN zone, information as provided by the local U.S. community, and any situational information about your zone to your post’s email.
How do I become a CLV?
Contact your nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
