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Advocacy inemergencies
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- 2. Session Objectives: •Understand therole of advocacy in emergencies in both general and WV contexts •Be familiar with advocacy approaches in WV • Be familiar with different types of emergencies and the different advocacy needs • Understand how advocacy links to and compliments WV programming objectives
- 3. WV and Advocacy Aproject, programme or programmatic approach which seeks to address the structural and systemic causes of poverty by changing policies, systems, practices and attitudes that perpetuate inequality and deny human rights. It is primarily a ministry of influence using persuasion, dialogue and reason to obtain change and is usually done in partnership with other external stakeholders. (Art of Advocacy Training Manual, WVI)
- 4. Why do advocacyin an emergency? 1.2
- 5. Characteristics of advocacy Advocacy… •Should not be ‘added on’ to what you do, but should be built into our programs • Offers credible positive alternatives • Aims to change specific policies affecting children and create political space. It is directed at those who have the power to influence children’s lives – the goal is institutional change • Is not an end in itself •Requires clear goals and measurable objectives •Is a long- term process rather than a one-off event •Is based on evidence from our programs and experience (“experience based advocacy”) •Aims to make decision-making a more inclusive and democratic process in which children’s opinions are included
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- 7. HEA wheel • earlywarning • preparedness • disaster mitigation • response • rehabilitation • transition
- 8. • rapid changesin context • limited information • small window of opportunity • intense media attention • high level of risk • tensions between operations and advocacy • difficult to undertake community empowerment • need to quickly produce products how is advocacy in emergencies unique?
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- 10. •Advocacy planning principlesare the same as in non- emergency situations •Advocacy should make sure the emergency response focuses on children’s rights and needs •Advocacy must be based on humanitarian principles •Make sure that doing advocacy will not harm people, or prevent us providing humanitarian assistance 3.1 Advocacy in an Emergency Context
- 11. WV Advocacy andHEA • ARG • H-PIG • SO Advocacy Advisors • Thematic Guides • WVI Public Positions:A Guide for Staff (2002)
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- 13. what advocacy lookslike in an emergency
- 14. 1.follow a process •internal coordination (and the ARG) • the importance of partnering • integrate the response • address full HEA-wheel some considerations
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- 17. International Regional National Local International conventions andtreaties Donors’ development policies Regional institutions’ policies and strategies National policies common to a geographic region Promoting good national practices within regions National policies and strategies Institutional structures Specific legislation protection of children in emergencies Resource allocation to DRR Local implementation of legislation Local debate on distribution of resources Access to services and resources Community policies, strategies and coping mechanisms Where HEA and Advocacy meet
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Editor's Notes
- #2 Explain that this first session will focus on making sure everyone is on the same page regarding advocacy and HEA work. The session will briefly cover advocacy in WV as well as look at the different types of emergencies WV operates in. The session will then look at the basics of advocacy in emergency and what might be different from other advocacy initiatives. This session sets the foundation for the course so it is important to allow sufficient time for all participants to feel comfortable with the terminology and underlining WV principles. Many of the issues raised in this session will be dealt with in more detail in later sessions. The facilitator needs to be familiar with the course structure to be able to refer to when and where sessions will cover the details.
- #4 It is useful to have the WV definition of advocacy written on a flip chart or pre-printing in large letters and stuck somewhere prominent in the room. The same can be done for the HEA wheel
- #5 5-10m Lead a discussion on this question. Note that this is phrased in the positive and not the negative so try and make sure the discussion focuses on doing advocacy and not the reasons why not! Get the discussion here to think outside the context of just WV and ask the question more broadly based on overall context issues. Some guiding ideas: Part of agency identity Biblical imperative Allows us to better meet the needs and protect the rights of children and their communities Legal obligations/frameworks Enhances operational objectives
- #8 At this point have a brief discussion on the types of emergencies – slow, rapid, CHE. This can easily be done in a Q&A form – ie what different types of emergencies are there? CHE will usually require additional discussion. Explain that the HEA wheel applies to the different types of emergencies Notes from Advocacy in Emergencies Handbook When we talk about an ‘emergency’ we can be discussing a number of different types of events. Emergencies are generally natural disasters, armed conflict, or civil unrest. But increasingly, even natural disasters are heavily influenced by politics and social dynamics. Some emergencies are described as ‘rapid-onset,’ meaning they unfold quickly into disasters with little or no warning. These might include earthquakes, volcanoes, and even conflict. Other crises give us more warning and we can see them coming for months or even years. These are ‘slow-onset.’ They might include food insecurity, climate change, or may be conflict-related crises. Emergencies - whether caused by natural or man-made factors - can take place in highly complex and political environments. These are referred to as Complex Humanitarian Emergencies (CHEs), like the displacement crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur. Some emergencies can also be described as chronic; these are severe emergencies which recur regularly, such as food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. An increasing challenge to World Vision and the humanitarian sector are ‘neglected emergencies.’ These are long-term emergencies which continue for years without solutions being found, and with limited international attention and funding. You may also find that if the majority of participants are not from an HEA background more discussion is needed regarding HEA process/protocols etc. Remind the group that there is also a session on Standards which also gives more background to HEA.
- #9 Either get groups in their tables to generate a list or ask this question as a plenary brainstorm. Then show the bullet points and only refer to what did not get mentioned in the group work or call out. You can draw a chart with Development on one side and Emergency on the other and ask the participants to list the characteristics (refer to Advocacy in Emergencies Handbook). You should also get the groups to discuss what is similar about advocacy in a development or emergency setting. One of the key points to bring out here is that context analysis is critical to both and this some of the tools and skills this training looks at are applicable in the day to day development advocacy staff are undertaking. It is important to reinforce here that participants bring with them skills and capacities that are transferable to the emergency setting.
- #10 Notes from Advocacy In Emergencies Handbook Depending on our capacity, the availability of information, and the restrictiveness of a context, we will find ourselves somewhere along this spectrum - with alert being the minimum, and direct influence being the most desirable course of action: Alert We seek to alert people to an issue or crisis with the hope of bringing about change. Our advocacy may target government officials, the UN or other NGOs, the media, the general public, beneficiaries, our supporters, or even audiences within World Vision. If we observe particular abuses taking place, for example, an initial step may be simply to alert relevant stakeholders to these occurrences; perhaps the government, the UN and other NGOs, and those communities potentially impacted. But always being mindful of potential risks to our beneficiaries, the organisation, and our staff. Inform But when possible, our advocacy should do more than just raise an issue. It should inform key audiences with the intention that the audience undertakes whatever actions are in the interest of the communities we serve. We typically do this through evidence-based reports and research, gathering information on a particular topic to present to relevant stakeholders. Influence World Vision seeks to do more than just alerting and offering information; we seek change, and advocacy is central to realising many of these changes. We usually aim to actively influence the behaviour of decision-makers, communities, donors, and key actors by making recommendations and providing advice to those who have the power to make a difference. Key to effective influence is understanding the context, the actors, and identifying points of leverage and influence. Whilst restrictions in some contexts may reduce our ability to influence key actors, the ultimate aim of our advocacy should be to persuade those in a position of power to change their policies or actions for the good of our beneficiaries. Sometimes this can be done publicly, but sometimes it is more effective to do privately. World Vision is the world’s largest NGO with much to contribute on the advocacy front. We have to act our size and have confidence in our ability to advocate for change. And we must do so with professionalism and a good understanding of our context.
- #12 This slide is to introduce participants to the various systems, networks or resources internal to WV. This will be raised again later in the week in the session on co-ordination. Refer to Advocacy in Emergencies manual pXX for descriptions of ARG and H-PIG
- #13 Any of the final versions of these are available on Navigator and the course CD but note that some are still in production
- #16 Note that this slide will be addressed more fully in the following session. Note that there are a number of different ways this wheel can be drawn described etc but for the purposes of this training it will look like this.
- #17 Note that this slide gives visual representation to how various WV entities interact internally as well as externally. This will be covered in more detail in the session on co-ordination and networking as well as being woven in to many other sessions that look at interacting with other stakeholders.
- #18 Lead a brief discussion here about the levels and ways that advocacy interacts. It is a useful discussion following from the last slide as it shows why there is interest from the P’ship at various levels and allows the NOs to be aware of how they can actually shape the advocacy agenda for their context.
- #19 Lead a discussion asking the participants to further consider where the two ministry lines meet. Use the notes below to guide or prompt the plenary discussion. Advocacy requires both good analysis – knowing who to lobby, and what for and a coordinated strategy involving different stakeholders such as HEA and MQ who have evidence from the field that should inform who and what we lobby for. Slow onset emergencies rarely happen in isolation from underlying impoverishment and chronic food insecurity Emergency responses should therefore build on national government strategies, engaging in dialogue when these strategies are inappropriate or ineffective This will in turn assist in the contribution of the emergency responses to our long-term development work HEA aims to increase the coping capacities of communities During emergencies HEA is in the best position to introduce coping mechanisms that allow for systematic and sustained development of practices and strategies that minimise future vulnerabilities These are more long-term approaches that involve community level advocacy engagement, which would become part of the wider advocacy strategy initiated by WVK at the government level A conscious decision to design our advocacy and development programmes so that we can modify and prevent the occurrence of disasters should be the ultimate outcome of our efforts to reduce vulnerability To achieve the above we need to make an effort to integrate across out ministries For example: Advocacy for better policies that support pastoralist livelihoods is essential in the short and long term. These could include: lifting livestock bans, facilitating conflict resolution, enabling internal and cross-border movement of pastoralists, supporting trade in livestock and other goods Good livelihood assessments analyse the political and institutional factors affecting vulnerability of households and communities to a slow onset disaster. This is why emergency interventions must include advocacy strategies for change, if we are to be successful in building community resilience and in reducing community vulnerabilities in a way that leads to sustainable livelihoods.