Advocacy for Development NGOs at National and EU Levels September 11-12, 2012, Prague.

Advocacy for Development NGOs at National and EU

LevelsSeptember 11-12, 2012, Prague

Goal of the session 1

What is good to think of before starting with advocacy

11.09.2012 Prague | Ondřej Kopečný

To understand better the different „parts“ of advocacy, positives as well as negative connotations and different dimensions and dynamics behind advocacy work

Don´t get stressed about terminology



Campaign

Planning and Coordination Researc

h

Policy analysis

Lobbying

Awareness raising

Publlic action

Alliance building




Advocacy


h

Policy analysis

Lobbying

Awareness raising

Publlic action

Alliance building




Advocacy


h

Policy analysis

Lobbying

Awareness raising

Publlic action

Alliance building

Public

Campaignin

g




Advocacy In NGO context advocacy is about influencing the social, economic and political environment that impacts on disadvantaged people.

Policy work

Public campaigning

Lobbying

Awareness raising

Source: The Pressure Group

Investigating issues and problems, gathering evidence and identifying recommended solutions or courses of action.

Generating and mobilizing support from the public for a particular solution to a problem or issue.

Direct approaches to decision makers or individuals with high influence in order to persuade them to take (or not) a particular decision or action.

Increasing the knowledge / understanding of the public concerning the existence of a particular problem or issue.

The purpose is always the same



CHANGE

In institutional policy and/or practice

In public attitudes and behavior

• struggle for the new law on humanitarian aid and development cooperation

• distribution of revenues from emission trading scheme (ETS) in favor of development projects

• more attention given to the policy coherence for development (PCD) in the ODA Strategy of the government

• dialog with decision makers about ODA levels, priorities, countries

• Fair trade campaigns

• Anti-discrimination campaigns / equal rights / access / treatment

• Recycling campaigns

CEE: Large part of our advocacy / campaigning is awareness raising

Other positive spillovers of advocacy



• Possibility to influence situation on systemic level which could scale up the impact of development programs on the ground (PCD)

• Potentially effect on more people than traditional development programs

• Holds governments and other agencies accountable

• Exploits opportunities to make change

• Enables a higher organizational profile, which helps fundraising and supporter recruitment


Reverse side of advocacy



• Divert resources away from direct help and support

• Outcomes are often long term and/or intangible

• Risk of damaging NGO reputation or sources of funding

• Risk of creating negative impact and/or provoking a stronger counter-reaction (in extreme it could mean security risk to the NGO´s staff, partners and beneficiaries)

BUT MOST OF ALL WE COULD BE QUESTIONED ABOUT..

Legitimacy and accountability



Who do we speak for?• As a member of the group (directly effected by the

problem…)• On behalf of the group (we were asked to speak for

the group for various reasons…)• With the group (facilitating the process…)

Who are we accountable to?• Donors? • Supporters? • Staff? • …. ?

Legitimacy and accountability ?



Who do we speak for?• As a member of the group (directly effected by the

problem…)• On behalf of the group (we were asked to speak for

the group for various reasons…)• With the group (facilitating the process…)

Who are we accountable to?• Donors? • Supporters? • Staff? • …. ?

BENEFICIARIESHow do we know our work has

helped someone?

Other dimensions of advocacy (group exercise)



Causes?

First steps?

Links?

POVERTY

Other dimensions of advocacy



Simple vs. complex

The more complex / technical issues is the harder it will be to explain it to wider / non-expert audience.

Short vs. long

Close vs. distant

The longer it will get to achieve the goal the harder it will be to keep motivation, support, alliances, capacities

The more distant the issue will be to your audience the harder it will be to mobilize them / get the support

• structure well the problem (different aspects)

• prioritize

• try to set up an achievable goal / time limit

• divide your campaign into phases• don´t repete always the same

things

• make the links• explain / document why is it

relevant (use different types of arguments)

BREAK UNTIL…?

www.glopolis.org


Advocacy in the context of formulation of public concerns


To understand better the process/cycle of formulation of public concern in order to identify the best role / moment for our intervention. To discuss specific conditions in V4/CEE regarding NGO advocacy / lobbying activities.

Advocacy and public concern / interest / good



What we do we do in public interest, for

public good and / or marginalized groups

Public concern – basic characteristic


• it must concern significant number of the society, although some of them could be affected more, more directly (influence their perception of importance of the concern)

• it cannot be achieved (secured) easily neither quickly (sometime it keeps coming back)

• there are multiple ways how to attain to it, we cannot usually say which one is better

• their realization often exceeds the competence of one institutions (usually different stakeholders / institutions / groups need to be involved)

• its definition is never generally accepted, there is always someone that disputes its relevance

• they are based on values an usually historically and culturally determined


Public concern – basic characteristic


• it must concern significant number of the society, although some of them could be affected more, more directly (influence their perception of importance of the concern) = awareness raising

• it cannot be achieved (secured) easily neither quickly (sometime it keeps coming back) = policy work – solutions, evidence

• there are multiple ways how to attain to it, we cannot usually say which one is better = alliance building

• their realization often exceeds the competence of one institutions (usually different stakeholders / institutions / groups need to be involved) = strategy, analysis of actors

• its definition is never generally accepted, there is always someone that disputes its relevance = get used to critique, work with it

• they are based on values an usually historically and culturally determined = find your own way which work


Public concern – who formulates it?


•Public opinion / society

•Groups of citizens

•Interest groups

•Experts


Public concerns – how is it formed?



This is where legislative process take place – good to know different phases.

Public concerns – different role for NGO/CSO



Alarm-clock: problem is unknown or neglected, getting attention

Moving force: gathering evidence, formulating solutions, getting support

Lobbyist: persuading the responsible actors to accept your solution

Partner: is it done properly? Taking part in the realization.

Watchdog:did it help?

Public concerns – concrete example on FTT



On Czech level

On EU level

Public concerns – different role for NGO/CSO



In which phase is my concern / problem ?

What role/combination is the best to take?

What capacities do I need to play it successfully? Who should I cooperate with?

?

?

?

V4 Specifics

Advocacy in the CEE countries


USA AID 2011: NGO Sustainability Index

V4 Specifics (2)


• Financial conditions are deteriorating (NGOs funding is usually not very diversified)

• Competition with the „old“ NGOs - trade unions, church…

• Quite big portion of funding comes from government grants which may limit the advocacy activities

• Cooperation with decision makers (e.g. through special committees) is often only formal (no reflection on comments, no feedback etc.)

• On local level often better access than on central level

• Advocacy is often not part of strategy (ad hoc, unprepared) or not seen as important / part of the work (service delivery orientation)

• Image: rather positive but sometimes problem with own transparency

• …?

USA AID 2011: NGO Sustainability Index

Advocacy in the CEE countries

LUNCH UNTIL…?

www.glopolis.org

Interview

Interview with Mr. Konrád from MFA


DISCUSSION

BREAK UNTIL…?

www.glopolis.org


Advocacy strategy


To introduce different tools and tricks which could help our advocacy work to pay off.

Why do we need a strategy ?

Advocacy strategy


Strategy should help us to avoid following shortcomings:

• Planning of activities before we are clear about the goals and messages we want to deliver / communicate and channels we want to use.

• Catching too many rabbits: too broad, too many issues, too large audience

• Unclear goals and objectives: when we don´t know where are we going, how can we get there

• Lack of ideas: replicating the same activities, not interesting, not enough time for preparation,

• Too vague: too general / unclear messages / recommendations / demands

• Insufficient evaluation: not knowing if successful (how much), what worked/didn´t work – learn from mistakes, unable to react quickly on new development / situation

Campaign cycle

Advocacy strategy


This is where we tend to

start

coord

inati

on

What advocacy strategy should include

Advocacy strategy


• Aim (long term): how a particular group of people´s lives will be changed if our advocacy is successful?

• Objectives (short term): what needs to be changed now – concrete changes in institutional practice or behavior that will contribute to the fulfillment of our aims (SMART)

• Who is important (target groups): who is important, what is his/her attitude towards the issues and influence (stakeholder analysis)

• Demands and arguments: support why is your issue / case important / relevant (different types of arguments)

• Sources: human as well as financial (budget) plus division of work

• Coordination, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms: make public your activities and successes, set up date for reviewing the strategy…

What advocacy strategy should include - important

Advocacy strategy


understand and structure well the problem…

Often taken for granted but often not the case

(for instance: pre-analysis of the issues by somebody out of the team could provide valuable inputs…)

Advocacy strategy


Tree of Causes and Impacts

Advocacy strategy


It could help to:

• see all different levels / dimensions of the issue (problem) and prioritize (relevance, achievability…)

• choose which influence style (AW, lobbying, policy work…) to use and in which context

• differentiate between technical, political and public level of the issue (there may issues which are not suitable for public campaigning)

• Balance the debate – understand different angles of the problem

• increases relevance (?reformist vs. radical approach?)

• prepares arguments for those who dispute our proposals

Advocacy strategy


Pool of issues for public campaigning / change of policies

Technical / expert level, lobbying at ministries, national bank…

Why a change is needed

Important factors, but impossible to change, not suitable for advocacy

Very often this is core of our campaign

Stake-holder analysis

Advocacy strategy


Who is important:

• Who decides: policy/decision makers

• Those who tell those who decide how to decide: advisors

• Those who can create pressure:• Voters, consumers, opinion/image makers = audience• Those who are affected = direct beneficiaries /

marginalized groups

Stake-holder analysis

Advocacy strategy


stakeholder Interest in the issue/agenda

Influence / power Attitude towards your proposals

estimate reliability of the

estimate

estimate reliability of the estimate

estimate reliability of the estimate

Ministry low 40% high 80% negative 50 %

Political parties

Expert instit.

Trade unions

EU / inter. instit.

NGOs

Public

Media

could help to:• list all possible stakeholder and identify their possible role in your campaign• Identify your allies / critiques / counterparts• identify what we need to know / speak to in order to know more

Advocacy Tactics

Advocacy strategy


Reformist / insider Radical / outsider easier access relationship and trust facilitator / honest broker

opportunist, pragmatic legitimate to target /

process compromise of own

position exclusivity

more freedom to action motivation / action /

spontaneity more attractive /

interesting

marginalisation always in opposition, no /

not realistic solutions magnetism of criticism restriction for funding


Influencing styles

Advocacy strategy


Factual: presentation of facts, detailed documentationSince July 2010, prices of many crops have risen dramatically. Prices of maize increased

74%; wheat went up by 84%; sugar by 77% and oils and fats by 57%. The spike in prices in 2007-08 took the total number of hungry people to over a billion - a sixth of the world’s population.

Intuitive: stressing the benefits of a solution Spending on agriculture pays dividends in terms of reducing poverty and inequality,

promoting sustainable growth and protecting the environment.

Normative: common set of beliefs, fair solution (emotions)Those already living on the edge are particularly vulnerable; the landless, slum dwellers

and farm workers. If consumption decreases, it’s women and children who suffer most as men’s rations tend to be prioritized in many households.

Analytical: causal relationships(1)Global cereal stocks are much higher now than they were in 2007-08. (2) Price rises

are not yet global – in much of Africa prices remain stable, because of good harvests. (3)We are not yet experiencing the extent of export restrictions seen in 2007-08, one of the key drivers of high prices. (4) Prices are rising across all foodstuffs, but critically, staple foods, particularly cereals, eaten by many of the world’s poorest people are at a lower price than the peak of the crisis in 2007-08…

Source: Oxfam

Levels of decision making

Advocacy strategy


Political level• deputy ministers / ministers• role of ideology, political trade-offs (in worst case scenario

corruption)• in many issues it comes only if there is a discontent (for

instance between ministries) – e.g. decision making in the government, COREPER…

Technical level• government / ministry officials • where positions are prepared• could be more important than minister

Source: Oxfam

Sources of power in direct lobbying

Advocacy strategy


Expert: you are being perceived as expert on the issue. It takes time to be build but it could be lost quickly.

Representation: your are considered to have the right to speak out on the particular issue. Need of broader constituency / direct experience needed.

Reward / punishment: you are being percieved as someone with influence on public opinion whose criticism / praise will people listen to. Need of high putlic credit / trustwortheness

Trade: you have something / can do (or not – classical example is strike) what you can exchange for agreement with your conditions.

Sharing of experiences

Summary and debrief


What helps you? •in formulating your goals / messages•Increasing impact of your advocacy

Examples of successful NGO lobby work / campaigns• …?

DO WE NEED BREAK…?

www.glopolis.org

Summary – 10 points for effective advocacy

Summary and debrief


1. Select the issue that’s right for you

2. Compile strong and compelling evidence; ensuring that there is a high quality research and policy analysis at the root of all advocacy effort

3. Understand targets and audiences and track what’s going on

4. Be clear about what you are trying to achieve; identify objectives

5. Use a range of complementary tactics according to the situation

6. Participation, accountability, legitimacy (involve beneficiaries if possible / appropriate / relevant)

7. Maximise joint working opportunities with allies

8. Communicate well and persistently by being agile in the short-term and constant in the long-term

9. Stay with the issue through to resolution and / or have viable exit strategies

10. Promote an advocacy, campaigning, change-oriented culture

Source: Chris

Summary

Summary and debrief


11. Do it your way - each case is different, take others as valuable inspiration but not as a template

Debrief

Summary and debrief


• All parked issues solved?

• Any other questions / feelings to share?

• Logistics of today

• Program of tomorrow

Advocacy for Development NGOs at National and EU Levels September 11-12, 2012, Prague.

Documents

Transcript of Advocacy for Development NGOs at National and EU Levels September 11-12, 2012, Prague.