Could not get access to Ombudsman or other policy makers
Information delivered in inaccurate and ambiguous manner – language not carefully formulated Nobody else lobbying Ombudsman’s office – too few allies
Did not have enough relevant technical understanding
Weak organizational planning in terms of responsibilities – matters rushed at end.
6.3 Developing your own indicators
You can gather together the answers to the various evaluation tools at the end of each section throughout this manual and get an overview of your entire strategy or any part of it. As presented these evaluation tools are indicative of the types of questions relevant to a particular aspect of the work. Your learning, environment or dynamics may alter those questions and you are encouraged to add to them to develop indicators that more accurately reflect your own organization’s practices.
You can use the evaluation tools in this manual and alter them accordingly as suits your work. The following chart is an example of an expanded capacity evaluation chart – it links to Chapter Step 2.6: Organizational capacity and human rights advocacy.
Characteristic of indicator
Seed – Just beginning to define itself in this area, has potential to develop
Emerging– Starting to become established
Growing– Beginning to gain momentum and confidence
Well-developed– Good degree of competency and is seen to be very effective
Mature– Highly competent
Score 1 2 3 4 5 Capacity
A Vision values, mission, strategy
1 Clear mission and purpose of organisation or group 2 Clear and agreed values underpinning organization
3 Understanding of how advocacy links with core values and mission and as an integral part of development
4 Strategy for action, linking to mission and values
5 Understanding the servant nature of advocacy and appropriate use of power
Capacity
B Internal systems and structures
1 Clear and accountable decision making processes
2 Clear idea of who is being represented and how that is done 3 Clarity around organization’s own legitimacy
4 Stakeholder participation in advocacy and other development work 5 Clear lines of communication within and out of the organization re: work
Score (1-5)
Capacity
C Skills, experience and understanding
1 Understanding of how local, national and international policies affect local problems
2 Understanding of policy-making and power relations 3 Understanding the views and influence of key stakeholders 4 Skills in research and access to good information
5 Skills in community mobilisation and awareness-raising 6 Skills, or access to skills, in law
7 Skills in strategy development 8 Skills in lobbying
9 Experience of working with the media
10 Support from others, such as partners or networks 11 Understanding of risks and how to plan to reduce them
Score (1-5)
Capacity
E External links
1 Access to/relationship with other grassroots groups 2 Access to/relationship with policy-makers
3 Access to/relationship with local or national NGOs 4 Access to/relationship with international NGOs
5 Access to established networks (national and international) 6 Relationship with journalists
7 Committed membership which can be mobilised 8 Access to experts on your issue
9 Access to trainers and other advocacy resources in region
Score (1-5)
This text utilises guidance found in the Community Tool Box http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/index.htm
Capacity
D Resources
1 Human resources committed to advocacy 2 Financial resources committed to advocacy
6.4 Sample advocacy process
1. Advocacy goal identified (in line with organization’s mission) 2. Advocacy objective identified
3. Issue to be worked on isolated
4. Research and in-house thinking done on the issue – evidence and data gathered to support claim, national and international human rights standard identified
5. Community consultation and agreement on issue’s relevance
6. Make oral and written (letter) complaint on issue to provider (police, health, etc) 7. Await response (set timeframe) – record it
8. Monitor and document any situations on issue – i.e. gather data and evidence 9. Produce policy statement
10. Identify the stakeholders – who is in any way affected? – most immediate to most remote – discover ways to inform them
11. Start to gather allies – how does the issue impact on /relate to their fields of work 12. Create seminar /conference/ meeting with group of allies to confirm mutual positions 13. Identify and prepare for opposition
14. Create programme of lobbying on national level – who, why – prepare material for primary targets after researching them
15. Work on secondary targets – map how each can influence issue
16. Identify sites and methods of mobilising LGBT community – prepare materials and events 17. Look at ways to affect public awareness and education – plan and execute demonstrations, media interviews, etc
18. Look at evolving a legal position on the issue with lawyers
19. Keep INGO partners informed throughout processes above as their perspective and experience may help to inform timing and approaches
20. INGOs may be able to help present the information at national level in a way that is pre-emptive of delivering the information to regional and international partners
21. Package and deliver information (report, etc) to CoE, OSCE, EU and UN mechanisms as appropriate and useful
22. Follow up information delivery with personal contact with appropriate desk or office 23. Utilise media to convey to government/agency/public that such actions have been taken 24. All work needs to be monitored and documented as it happens and later the whole project needs to be evaluated (at key points during strategy and/or afterwards.)
Further resources
www.innonet.org/client_docs/File/evaluation_plan_workbook.pdf and http://www.innonet.org
Advanced advocacy evaluation approaches, Evaluation Exchange at Harvard Family Research Project www.hfrp.org/evaluation/the-evaluation-exchange/issue-archive/advocacy-and-policy-change
Annex 1
The texts throughout this Annex are sourced from institution websites, ILGA-Europe documents and directly from ILGA-Europe and COC-Netherlands staff.
1. The United Nations
(UN)
Mandate
Over the past decades, the United Nations has adopted several legal instruments to protect and promote human rights, instruments that have been signed and ratified by a majority of States around the world. The UN human rights treaties are at the core of the international system for the promotion and protection of human rights. These international human rights instruments inscribe in law such rights as the right to life, the right to protection of the security of person, and the right to be free from discrimination.