Lobby & advocacy

Saeed esmailian

Time table 1. welcome & introuduce your self 10 min2. what is lobbying & advocacy 20

min3. Advocacy 20 min4. Strategizing 5 min5. Short break 10 min6. Steps 45 min7. Conclusion 5 min8. Selfi time

Introduction

What is lobby and advocacy?

goal

•to inflence decision makers

difference

Decision-makers

Advocacy

lobbying

Lobbying is a specialized form of advocacy.

• It is a strategic,planned and informal way of inflencing decision-makers.

Characteristics are:

• open (two-way) communication,• inflencing by linking the interests of different stakeholders, •creating win-win situations •investing in long-term relationships with decisionmakers

limits

10 min

Clarify the objectives of yourorganization, network or

coalition•vision, mission and Objectives

• regular discussions with staff about the role and the added value of the organization

DEFINE YOUR TARGET GROUP

• farmers’ organizations• women’s groups• teachers’ unions• confederations of transporters• organizations of people living with HIV/Aids, etc

CHOOSE YOUR LOBBY AND ADVOCACY

GOAL AND SET OBJECTIVE(S)

Essence of a problem, its causes and its consequences

Identifying possible solutions

Translated into lobby and advocacy goals and objectives

LOBBY OBJECTIVE

• What you want to change• For whom• Who will make the change• By how much and• By when

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound

DEFINE THE DECISION-MAKERS

•Who is responsible•who are the decision-makers•who may solve the problem•Who do you want to influence•Who needs to change something and when is the most opportune moment to accomplish that?

KEEP IN MIND

•Decision-maker is a person and not an institution or structure

•find out the positions, interests and needs /motivations of the decision-makers you aretrying to influence.

Be aware of bribery!

PREPARE YOUR ORGANIZATION FOR

LOBBY AND ADVOCACY•What are the methods and techniques

•What are the internal procedures for issuing statements, writing position papers and the like?

•What is the added value of the organization in relation to the identified

IDENTIFY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

•Advocacy arena

Friends : Support / strengthen your lobby

Neutrals : Potential to become allies

Enemies: Start a counter lobby

IS LOBBY ANDINSTRUMENT RIGHT THE AD؟

•Do we have the right partners and do we have aconsensus at the level of the target group andwithin our organization?Does our organization have sufficient legitimacyto carry out lobby and advocacy on this topic?Is there enough lobby and advocacy capacity to goon? Do we have enough information? Can we putforward proposals specific enough for decisionmakers?Does our organization have an open channel tothe relevant decision-makers?

Is there a risk of negative effects on our target group or the decision-maker? If so, how can we reduce this risk?

Can we exert a sufficiently timely and pro-active influence?

Do we have sufficient financial resources for our lobby and advocacy?

DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN

•Criteria to assess and select the mosteffective activities- Level of influence the activity will have ondecision-makers, their opinion, attitude, etc.- Level of risk (human, financial, loss of credibility) to your program, organization or coalition in pursuing the activity.- Resources that are needed (to assure continuity)- Access to effective messengers

•Suitable methods:meetings with decision-makers, public events,petitions, round tables, newspaper articles, etc

Suitable messengers:media, celebrities, patients, experts, peers, donors(national /international).Right messages for the right type of decisionmakers

IMPLEMENT THE ACTION PLAN

ENSURE MONITORING, EVALUATION

AND FOLLOW-UP OF YOUR ACTIVITIES

steps

http://www.icco.nl/Portals/1/Documenten/Lobby%20and%20advocacy%20guidelines.pdf