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Reflect on your experience in advocacy or what you have learned / heard about it

=> share 1 word that summarizes the concept you have in your mind

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WORK IN GROUPS!

Use the post-its to make your group’s definition of advocacy

report back

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Advocacy

“... the active support of an idea or cause expressed through strategies and methods that influence the opinions and decisions of people and organisations.” (Buckley, 2018). Advocacy tries to 'convince', influence (through evidence, arguments, strategies and methods);

“... an organized attempt to change policy, practice, and/or attitudes by presenting evidence and arguments for how and why change should happen.” (OSF). It seeks to generate an expected change;

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE?

people’s perceptions
people’s behavior
people’s engagement
people’s decisions

INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

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POLICY ADVOCACY

a strategy to affect policy change or action
a primary audience of decision makers
a deliberate process of persuasive communication
a process that normally requires the building of momentum and support behind the proposed policy idea or recommendation
conducted by groups of organized citizens

EXAMPLES??

some core ideas

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whispering to or shouting at government?

ADVISING

MEDIA OUTREACH

LOBBYING

ACTIVISM

cooperation / inside track

confrontation / outside track

evidence based

value based

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ADVOCACY IS A PROCESS:

ISSUE

AUDIENCE

MESSAGE

MEANS OF DELIVERY

IMPLEMENTATION

EVALUATION

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CLEARLY IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

THEN, VERIFY THE PROBLEM

(in other words, LISTEN)

ISSUE IDENTIFICATION AND VERIFICATION

ascertain the needs and aspirations of a

community

avoid assumptions about what a problem might be and who’s affected
ensure that policy proposals are based in evidence and not based on hearsay or headlines

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ONCE YOU IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, PROPOSE SOLUTIONS

present policy options

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Strategic Focus

A feasible policy objective - considering the obstacles that exist and the leverage you have, how far do you think you can move the process?

The leverage you can bring and use - what can you bring to and use in the process to move it in the direction you wish?

Current obstacles to change - what is currently blocking the policymaking process from moving in the direction you want?

critical self-assessment

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Strategic analysis

Who are the key decision makers and opinion leaders that you need to influence?
How does the decision-making process really work?
What is the best timing/opportunity to start or continue your advocacy effort?
How do the stakeholders understand the target policy issue and the potential solutions?
What are the current positions of key actors in relation to any proposed change in policy?

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Shaping messages

What message would appeal to and convince your target audiences?

How can you make your messages striking, memorable, and portable?

Will you upset powerful or influential people with the positions you will

advocate for? Is there any risk to your sustainability or even safety in the positions you will put forward?

Strategic Risk

What responses or challenges do you expect from the audiences that you will present to? How will you defend or respond to these challenges?

Challenges and responses

How will you get your message to your target audiences

(e.g., papers, video, social media)? What kind of events and meetings do you need to allow you to engage enough your target audiences to convince them?

Activities and communication tools

Message and Activities

Why do your target audiences hold the current positions that they do? Will it be easy to move them from these positions?

Audience Profile

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What will you need?

Credibility
Evidence
Know the places and processes / policy cycles
Know the jargon
Community outreach
Build relationships with decision makers
External communication
Network and coalition building

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POLICY RESEARCH:

• Impact evidence (reviewing eff ec veness).

• Implementation evidence (determining effectiveness of implementation and delivery).

• Descriptive analytical evidence (measuring nature, size, and dynamics of problems, populations, and so on).

• Public attitudes and understanding (via methods such as opinion polls or focus groups).

• Statistical modeling (linear and logarithmic regression methods to make sound predictions).

• Economic evidence (cost-benefit/cost effectiveness of policies).

• Ethical evidence (social justice, redistribution, winners and losers).

FEASIBLE??? => partnerships with academia

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RESULTS

Developing policy capacities
Broadening policy horizons
Having a direct policy impact

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International digital advocacy

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Digital trust and security

Artificial intelligence

Human Rights

Digital public goods

Access and digital inclusion

Internet governance / global digital cooperation architecture

Digital capacity building

Main themes

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Why and when to use international advocacy?

Boomerang effect to create momentum to your national causes / issues
Make noise
Last recourse for accountability
Decolonize international law - influence standard setting

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WHO WILL YOU TARGET?

Other States
Inter-State initiatives
Associations of regulators
Regional bodies
International bodies

United Nations

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What can you get from advocacy at the UN?

develop or change norms and policies
address specific cases
recommendations to your State

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Bureaucracy

Decentralization

Geo-Politics

CHALLENGES

AND

RISKS

Risk of reprisals

Cost

Civil society always sitting at the back

(COVID)

Impact on people’s lives on the ground?

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remember that...

It takes time
Reaching a milestone can be success, so identify them
Monitoring is key to allow change and evaluation
Adopt a learning approach, so that you can renovate your strategy after assessing your successes and mistakes

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Necessary and proportionate - ‘the 13 principles’

https://necessaryandproportionate.org/

Case study

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why was it successful?

Clear message, catchy slogan
Actionable format
AND in-depth research
Multistakeholder consultation to identify the problem
Coalition building from start - 40 organizations
Later endorsed by 600 organizations and 270,000 individuals
Other supporting resources
Monitoring of impact - citations tracking (reinforcement)

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