Advocacy Session: Objectives

1
Advocacy Session Objectives

• To understand the role of communication and
  advocacy in the GA activities
• To share advocacy strategies and tools that
  effectively promote gender equality in the work
  of GA.
• To stimulate discussion various experiences,
  challenges and opportunities.
• Time 1 hour 45 minutes

2
Outline of panel speakers

• Presentations 1 hour
• Hodan Addou, Facilitator (7 minutes)
• Katharina Samara, HapInternational (15 minutes)
• Yvonne Sesonga, Femmes Africa Solidarity (15
  minutes)
• Jennifer Miquel, Regional GBV Taskforce (8
  minutes)
• Mariko Sato, UNHABITAT (15 minutes)
• Jamille Bigio, UNOCHA
• Group Work and Discussions 45 minutes

3

• Advocacy as one of the key ToRs of GAs.
• Does you advocacy strategy highlight a common
  commitment to gender equality and the essential
  role played by women in all aspects of
  humanitarian work?
• Do your advocacy strategies, messages, and the
  images used support gender equality? Women, Men,
  Girls and Boys?
• Do the messages emphasize the importance of
  gender equality in overcoming poverty and
  suffering?

4

• Key Questions for Advocacy strategy
• Advocacy for what purpose?
• Advocacy to secure political and financial
  support for gender equality and womens human
  rights in Humanitarian Action?
• Advocacy to build awareness of communities,
  targeting policy makers, law makers and
  enforcement agents?
• What is your message Define your message simple
  and single messages work best.
• What do people already know? and what do they not
  know? What information will be useful?
• Who are your target audience? Prioritize
  audience? Who will be left out because of your
  messages, tools and strategies used?

5

• Key Questions for Advocacy strategy
• Pre-testing Have you got your messages right?
  Have you tested them first? Are they culturally
  appropriate?
• Participation Is strategy taking into earlier
  feedback? Who is involved in development of
  advocacy strategy?
• Define your Message clarity, can it effectively
  understood?
• What media will be used to communicate your
  messages?
• Timing and coordination Multi channels of
  communication?
• Scale How is it going to be carried out?
• Capacity Building what capacities exist?
• Evaluation
• Source Communications and Development A
  practical guide. (DFID, 1999)

6

• What opportunities are available to the GAs to
  advocate for GE?
• Information exchange meetings
• GenderNets
• Needs Assessments
• Trainings and workshops
• Contingency planning workshops
• Consolidated appeal processes
• UNCTs, Senior Management Meetings, etc.
• Advocacy and Awareness raising Tools?
• Single issue campaigns
• Information fliers
• media advocacy or campaigns short films, videos,
  theatre
• Broadcast media radio and television
• Networking
• Information and communication technology web
  portal

7

• Evidence-based advocacy
• Research findings can form the basis of advocacy
  initiatives
• Participatory appraisals, assessments, ME can
  produce evidence to present to key stakeholders
• Ownership
• experience shows that when individuals targeted
  are made to feel that they own the idea being
  propagated.
• Presentation
• Working in a flexible manner, might be achieved
  more than by pushing a particular agenda which
  many will feel is not appropriate to their
  agencies or countries.

8
Partners for Advocacy

• Non-Governmental organizations
• Have lots of experience and a greater capacity to
  conduct advocacy and media work.
• UN agencies and other Inter-governmental
  organizations
• GenderNets, communication officers in agencies
  (UNIC),
• Local OCHA offices
• Media
• Media contacts
• Government (relevant line ministries, ministry of
  gender and family, women parliamentarians,
• Local civil society organizations (CSOs)
• pushing from below, achieve more
• Effective partner when doing policy-based
  communication work
• Wealth of experience, ownerships