Powered by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
Advocacy and NGO Participation
As part of the globalization trend, key issues of significance to communities in developing countries are now being taken on at international level. The effective participation of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in these international conferences and in meetings is essential for strengthening the role of CSOs in influencing global decision- making processes.
This programme aims at expanding the grassroots-to-global and global-to-grassroots to improve the relationship of local groups to global events, and disseminating relevant information about global issues to the local level.
Thus, a key part of the programme is to organise African NGOs representatives to prepare for and actively participate in selected global processes such as the follow-up of some of international conferences on sustainable development.
The Programme will also support NGOs to increase the effectiveness of their policy advocacy work at the national level. This will be done through information dissemination, conferences, workshops and training.
Advocacy related activities consist of:
- Identifying key specific issues to focus and lobby for during relevant environmental inter-governmental meetings;
- Disseminating information on outcomes of relevant inter-governmental meetings;
- Compiling information on local experiences, campaigns, needs and priority issues and case studies for presentation at relevant inter-governmental meetings;
- Promoting the implementation of international agreements at the national and regional levels in Africa;
- Supporting and facilitating African organisations to participate in international events such as UN meetings;
- Providing a platform that broadly represents African interests and perspectives at international fora in the area of environment and development;
- Assisting NGOs to prepare for effective participation in international fora relating to the environment and sustainable development on issues affecting local community’s benefits and rights.
The role non-governmental organisations play for social development is rapidly growing across Africa. NGOs have made important contributions to reaching the poor, proving themselves able to help the most disadvantaged groups, where governments have been unable or unwilling to do, and to respond quickly to emergencies (UNDP). Their familiarity with local conditions, as well as with the social, cultural and traditional aspects of the population, direct contact with local communities and grassroots groups and their ability to disseminate information places them in a position to help implement more participatory local development initiatives.
This Programme pursues the following objectives:
- Facilitating and coordinating the establishment of an enabling environment for the NGO sector in Africa to become a more effective partner in tackling environmental issues by developing networking opportunities, awareness and advocacy programmes;
- Helping to identify strategic opportunities for action on key issues and promoting networking and sharing of information and analysis in order to increase effectiveness of grass-roots development initiatives in Africa;
- Debating on environmental international policies that may affect Africa adversely; follow up, lobby on, and influencing these issues;
- Highlighting and disseminating views, experiences and projects of NGOs and publicising their work in order to increase the visibility of their contribution made to local environmental conservation;
- Harnessing capacities of NGOs in Africa to articulate an African environment and development agenda rooted in ongoing experiences and analysis, with sensitivity to both the realities and aspirations of African societies;
- Enhancing cooperation and networking among African NGOs by facilitating the generation, dissemination and sharing of information.
Most African NGOs lack direct access to relevant practical and strategic information as well as access to financial resources to cover travel and subsistence costs for attending international meetings. These organisations have less opportunity to be involved in intergovernmental process. Due to this lack of resources the group of NGOs involved in intergovernmental fora has often been dominated by Northern based NGOs
A part from being a way to inform NGOs on the latest developments concerning sustainable environmental conservation, CAF will continue to use its e-mail forums as tools for dissemination of relevant information that NGOs need to prepare adequately their participation in international meetings. Information disseminated through the e-mail forums will contain preparatory technical documents of the meetings, views, ideas for fundraising, proposals for joint advocacy strategies, information requests from NGOs and on recommendations to the International environmental Conferences.
This programme will be carried out around the following activities:
- Building an effective forum for advocacy on environmental issues of importance to African people;
- Educating communities, groups and individuals on the principles of sustainable development.
- Identifying key specific issues to focus and lobby for during relevant inter-governmental meetings;
- Disseminating information on outcomes of relevant inter-governmental meetings;
- Compiling information on local experiences, campaigns, needs and priority issues and case studies for presentation at relevant inter-governmental meetings;
- Monitoring the implementation of international agreements at the national and regional levels;
- Facilitating the participation of members in intergovernmental meetings and assisting them to provide input to the meetings and to international decision-making processes;
- Drafting and disseminating policy recommendations, guidelines, progress reports, and discussion papers related to international development processes;
- Organising and participating in seminars, conferences, round-tables and other debates;
- Facilitating collaboration among non-governmental organisations and enhancing the capacity of partner organisations through a mutual exchange of experiences and knowledge;
- Assistance to NGOs to develop clear strategies and positions on various environment and development issues that is under discussion or negotiation in the various processes they participate in.
As the result of the above activities:
- NGOs would be in a strong position to articulate African needs and priorities for sustainable development at international fora.
- NGOs will be informed about current trends and development in the area of sustainable development at national, regional and international levels.
- NGOs will be able to influence and provide inputs to some aspects of the international policy decisions relating to sustainable development.
- Increased networking and collaboration among NGOs.
- Increased NGO collaboration and participation in international fora on sustainable development.
- Increased networking, information-sharing and joint activities by CSOs.