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"Speaking Out” - Advocacy Toolkit
The Speaking Out advocacy toolkit was adapted for use in the MENA region through a participatory process with 7 associations from the region. Two trainings of trainers were held in Morocco in 2011 and 2012 to build advocacy capacity among MSM and transgender organizations. Breakthrough advocacy initiatives were funded in Lebanon and Morocco. Participants identified a need to establish a regional MSM platform or network for the MENA region to facilitate continued information sharing and advocacy efforts. The Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality in Lebanon was selected to host and support the establishment of this MENA MSM advocacy platform.
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"Speaking Out” - Advocacy Toolkit
- 1. SPEAKING OUT MENA ATechnical Assistance Program Focused on Strengthening Advocay among MSM and Transgender organizations
- 4. The MSMGFhas developed in 2011 a successful Francophone version of the “Speaking Out” Advocacy Toolkit, in partnership with ALCS Morocco (Association de Lutte Contre le SIDA, ALCS), which organized 2 training of trainers Adapted by ALCS Morocco, with a participatory process from 7 associations from the region: ANISS, APCS ( Algeria), Marsa, Helem, OSE( Libaonn), SOS éducateurs pairs ( Mauritania) and ATL ( Tunisia) The toolkit currently employs epidemiological examples and other case studies from the Middle East/North Africa region, but the core principles and modules in the toolkit are applicable to MSM advocacy more generally, and are already written in French – thereby making them accessible to a regional audience (ie : francophone Western Africa)
- 5. 3 chapters andappendix A. Methodological parts to learn how to advocate for access to MSM HIV combination prevention B. 5 fact sheets that detail how to fundraise, to encourage research programs, to enhance the quality of actions, to do interventions around Stigma and discrimination, and to secure intervention with and for MSM C. Educational benchmarks to facilitate adaptation, organization and facilitation of training of trainers sessions from the contents of Sections A & B Appendix = resource materials and websites for more information on the topics covered in the manual
- 6. Changing theimage of MSM in the region, outside, but also inside organizations Strengthen the quality / overall / continuity of programs emphasizing the need of countries to engage into a combined prevention approach which enhances both knowledge, will and power Enhance knowledge of civil society actors to advocate for better access of MSM to HIV combination prevention Show that it is possible to facilitate the access of MSM in high stigmatized and hostile contexts Promote networking among LGBT associations, human rights associations, and HIV AIDS organizations
- 7. A. One trainingorganized in Marrakech,november 2011 with 12 participants from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Lebanon A. One validation workshop organized in Marrakech 9-10 and 11 June, 2012 with 12 participants from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Lebanon
- 8. Presentation of AaliSoutak at the MSM pre- conference Presentation of Aali Soutak in the MENA Networking zone, on a session « Enabling environment in the Mena region » Global Village, Washington DC IAS Conference (July 2012) Plenary presentation with others country teams at the Washington DC IAS conference (July 2012) Presentation of Aali Soutak at the MSMGF networking zone : exchange of experiences and team building
- 15. Creation ofa website section and facebook page Breakthrough Initiatives Lebanon: the MSMGF has partnered with MARSA - Sexual Health Center, Lebanon - to help develop, finance, and implement a breakthrough initiative entitled “Engaging Legal Decision Makers in Advocacy for Sexual Minorities in Lebanon.” which will be implemented and completed in 2014. Another breakthrough initiative contract was signed with MARSA and the MSMGF Policy Team entitled “Homosexuality is not a Disease and by that NOT subject to Treatment”, with the aim to promote the sexual health rights of MSM among psychology students in Lebanon. Morocco: the breakthrough initiative is to convene human rights and other civil society stakeholders along with people from UNAIDS, the Global Fund, and the Moroccan government (Ministry of Health) in a national stakeholder meeting, to disseminate and discuss the finalized adapted Toolkit, while also debating the Ministry of Health (MoH) Guidelines on MSM and HIV.
- 18. Determine howeffective the Speaking Out process is for communities engaging in advocacy initiatives, and how closely implementation met the stated plan Determine the impact the initiative has had towards identifying, naming, mapping, and advocating issues that impinge upon the ability of MSM to access HIV services and fulfill their human rights Main question: Is Speaking Out a good model for building capacity and local MSM groups to pursue advocacy Initiatives?
- 19. Partnerships withcommunity organizations facilitated local capacity building, ownership, sustainability. Take effort to maintain the current communications, and increase visits. Funding for advocacy is challenging. MSMGF has struggled to demonstrate the return on investment. MSMGF worked closely with local partners to develop realistic implementation budgets. Maintain transparency and open communications at current levels to ensure good working relationships with donors and partners.
- 20. Selection processes(countries, partners, consultants, participants) varied per country and region. Establish and utilize standardized processes for expressions of interest; form a selection committee. Maintain transparency and open communications. Toolkit adaptation aligned with socio-cultural and legal realities on the ground. Conduct in-depth assessments of local advocacy capacity, laws and policies affecting MSM and TG in terms of HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support, as part of the adaptation process. Content was unique and presented within human rights and HIV/AIDS response frameworks. Toolkit must remain flexible and open to content changes, and include localization to ensure participant ownership.
- 21. Toolkits adaptedinto three languages and regions ToTs implemented Advocate participants trained Technical Assistance provided to partner organizations Breakthrough Initiatives funded in Lebanon and Morocco Many spontaneous activities: collaboration across regions, mapping and documenting human rights abuses, individual and organizational-level changes, improved and successful advocacy campaigns, etc.
- 22. Arab spring? Opportunityor threat for the MSM environment ? How to deeply implement and expand the coverage of MSM programs in the region, based on international recommandations? How to go from the access to treatement, care and support to all, to the recognition of individual and personal rights of MSM in the region
- 23. Break through advocacyinitiatives in Algeria and/or Tunisia Local TOT in Tunisia Setting up an MSM network in the MENA region Arabic adaptation of the toolkit (Egypt) and expansion in Middle East Possible expansion of Speaking Out into francophone West Africa Possible engagement of additional donors to the MENA region
- 24. 3 mainactivities emerged from the last meeting : - Advocacy to promote research agenda on MSM - Encourage trainings for media and lawers - Encourage networking among organisations & activists “We are all doing great advocacy work now but we are isolated and some of our efforts are duplicative. Why can’t we work together more closely? We have similar context, we can share lessons, we can cooperate on research, and we can work on advocacy. We will be stronger together and more visible at regional and international levels. “
- 25. After thetwo Speaking Out TOTs done in Marrakesh for the MENA region, the participants identified the need to somehow stay in touch and update and educate each other about the work everyone is doing. It was agreed that establishing an MSM platform for the MENA region would be the long term solution to this identified need. However, the resources are currently not available to establish such a platform; thus, as a starting point, a listserv among the participants was established for information sharing and education purposes. Lebanon was already one of the preferable country chosen by the participants to host the platform
- 26. The ArabFoundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE), one of the only Lebanese organization working at regional level, appears to be the best host. The Arab Foundation for Freedom and Equality (AFE), will be serving as the secretariat for the establishment of a MENA MSM advocacy platform. AFE, in collaboration with the MSMGF, submitted a grant proposal to ViiV Healthcare's Positive Action Program in November 2013 to seek additional co-funding for the MENA MSM platform activities in 2014, grant that has been approved and signed by Viiv in December 2013 Objective : to formally establish and support a regional platform of advocates defending men who have sex with men (MSM) focused on HIV, health and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Editor's Notes
- #19 This evaluation was conducted at the transition from pilot phase to full implementation, and aimed to: (1) determine how effective the Speaking Out process is for communities engaging in advocacy initiatives, and how closely implementation met the stated plan; and (2) determine the impact the initiative has had towards identifying, naming, mapping, and advocating issues that impinge upon the ability of MSM to access HIV services and fulfill their human rights. A key feature of this evaluation is affirming what is working and not in need of alternation, and why, as well as what is not working, and recommending ways to refine the approach for an improved process to meet stated objectives. Major research questions included: What are the strengths of the Speaking Out Initiative? The weaknesses? The opportunities? The limitations? What was the training process? How are advocacy skills, capabilities, and comprehensions improving? How are Breakthrough Initiatives supporting self-realization and empowerment of MSM and TG communities? How is the process supporting leadership development? How is the Toolkit being used? What is the level of ownership in the Toolkit, and how important is that? What is MSMGF’s role in the Speaking Out Initiative? How are donor expectations being met? What is the long-term goal for the Initiative?
- #20 The partnership model allowed MSMGF a greater degree of involvement in the implementation of Speaking Out. Advocacy is difficult work to do, and hard to measure or attribute conclusively to positive changes. It is also difficult to balance the expectations of donors with the realities on the ground. At the implementation level, MSMGF worked closely with partners to develop realistic budgets to cover the different costs of implementation.
- #21 Selection processes varied depending on the country or region, and the context. Selection of geographic areas was opportunistic, targeting countries with the greatest need, often with neglected and overlooked populations, yet where MSMGF already had meaningful partnerships with local organizations, and where the greatest impact could be achieved. Local partners were selected through open calls or prior association, and were MSM-led organizations or groups with experience working with MSM. They were engaged to manage implementation from Toolkit adaptation, to ToT, to publishing the final toolkit, to Breakthrough Initiatives. Assessments of capacity and site visits allowed MSMGF to tailor technical assistance and capacity building for partners. Consultants were recruited to work with local partners via a multi-step process involving a written expression of interest, and interviews, as well as word-of-mouth recommendations. ToT participants were either directly invited to submit expressions of interest, or responded to open calls. As with consultant recruitment, this was a multi-step process. It was important that participants exhibit an interest in advocacy, demonstrate leadership qualities, and be willing to teach further Toolkit skills to their colleagues. Open calls seemed to result in participants that were more proactive and willing to invest their time and energy in Speaking Out. MSMGF should establish requirements for expressions of interest, and assign review percentages to each category to facilitate selection by committee. Selection or recruitment criteria should link to experience and qualifications, motivation, and leadership. Maintain transparency in selection at all times. Ensure communications with donors and Steering Committee members is clear and consistent, ensuring competing interests do not supersede those of the Initiative. Adaptation of the Toolkit was led by the partner organization, and was intended to ensure it was aligned with the realities on the ground in each region, respectful of cultural nuances, and attuned to local context and legal frameworks. Multiple revisions and reviews were conducted, with an end result very much owned by the stakeholders involved. Conduct in-depth assessments of local advocacy capacity, laws and policies affecting MSM and TG in terms of HIV prevention, care, treatment and support, prior to Toolkit adaptation. Ensure guidelines and steps for adaptation are loose and flexible. Toolkit content was unique in that it contributed to identifying, naming, and mapping stigma and discrimination, injustices, and violence targeted specifically towards MSM and TG, within a human rights framework, with a particular focus on how these factors undermine the HIV/AIDS response. MSMGF must remain flexible and open to changes in the content based on the needs on the ground, and in particular should consider expanding sections on advocacy tools and techniques. Incorporation of local case studies and examples is essential to ensuring participant ownership in the Toolkit. Include such additions in a way that does not make the Toolkit unreasonably long.
- #22 1.3 Conclusions and Recommendations The objectives were found to match the stated plan as all objectives were met, from the technical perspective, and from the output/outcome perspective. Toolkits were adapted into three languages and regions, ToTs were implemented, advocates were trained, technical assistance was provided to partner organizations, and Breakthrough Initiatives were funded in Honduras. Additionally, Speaking Out had an impact on local advocacy for participants named, identified, and mapped out issues to advocate around at the ToT and following graduation, and pursued largely successful advocacy actions, both planned and spontaneously. Encouragingly, participants also collaborated successfully across countries and regions with other participants to respond to human rights violations and strategize advocacy actions.