Budget Advocacy Intro I OSI EE Partners Workshop March 09

1. Budget Advocacy Intro IOSI EE Partners WorkshopMarch 09 Teresa Guthrie Centre for Economic Governance and AIDS in Africa (CEGAA)

2. Learning Objectives The participants will have an opportunity to: Understand the key elements of advocacy Find out about the key elements of advocacy strategy Learn how to develop a strategic budget advocacy objective

3. Learning Objectives Understand the relevance and importance of developing a budget advocacy strategy Recognize why it is essential to link the budget analysis and budget advocacy component of the strategy Practice identifying and framing a budgetary advocacy goal

4. Sessions in this Week Presentation of the lessons focus on two aspects • Planning for advocacy which covers – definitions, developing messages, identifying audiences • Stakeholder Analysis • Doing advocacy which covers the tools, strategies, approaches e.g. media, alliances building, lobbying

5. In Plenary • What is advocacy? • Name three outcomes of effective advocacy. • What kind of activities does advocacy involve?

6. Defining Advocacy • Definition 1: Advocacy is strategic action that influences decision making in order to improve the social, economic, political environment towards improvement of the community • Definition 2: support and enable people to better negotiate on their own behalf, for basic needs and basic rights (ActionAid)

7. Defining Advocacy • Definition 3: organised political process that involves the coordinated efforts of people to change policies, practices, prejudice, and exclusion (L. VeneKlasen & V. Miller) • Definition 4: is the planning and carrying out of actions that seek to change policy, attitudes and practice in favour of the poor. It can take many forms; from face to face discussions with politicians to mounting a media campaign to raise public awareness of the issues (Water Aid)

8. Budget Advocacy It is a strategic action that influences decision making in allocation and implementation of public budget, to enhance effective use of resources and provision of services, transparency and accountability.

9. Jim Shultz, Democracy Center in Bolivia People have a right to influence the public choices that shape their lives.  Public budgets are the chief instruments by which governments make these decisions and civil society (engagement) the greatest in ensuring that people are part of that process

10. Strategy Development & Planning • Internal analysis • External analysis • Stakeholders’ analysis • Resource mapping Use various tools such as SWOT analysis, participatory methodologies, etc

11. #1(a) Identify and define the problem • Identify problems & issues • Develop a problem statement • Use of participatory assessment & approach to defining the problem • Focus groups • Stakeholder meetings • Interviews

12. #1(b) Analysing problems and selecting priority Analyse priorities Compare impacts & solutions Analysing root causes ~ can you have an impact on these? Prioritise the problem you wish to address

13. #2 Looking inward Who are we? Identify ourselves and our interests (internal analysis) • Engaging in budget advocacy is a strategic choice that will have a major impact on the organisation hence need to look at vision, mission, strategies, etc • Why does the organisation want to get into budget advocacy? • What skills and capacities are available internally?

14. #3 Understanding the big picture (External analysis) • Every context has its own distinct characteristics that lead to ever changing political opportunities and challenges • Hence contextual analysis is critical • Mapping the political landscape • Mapping civil society • Stakeholder analysis

15. #3 External Analysis Factors that shape advocacy include timing, context & organisational capacity • Context: political environment, opportunities, constraints e.g. access to information, legislative framework, political will • Timing: each historic moment presents different political opportunities & constraints e.g. elections, bills in the house, national or international conference, global & local movement or changes • Organisation: SWOT, potential, allies, etc • Stakeholders – allies, opposition, undecided

16. #4 Mapping advocacy strategies Problems and issues have many causes and many solutions and it’s essential to identify the most appropriate strategy to achieve the intended results Mapping alternative strategies

17. In Plenary What are some of the advocacy strategies that you could employ?

18. Some Possible Strategies / Activities • Collaboration • Protest • Litigation • Public Awareness, Education & media • Research • Persuasion (includes lobbying, negotiation) • Organisation and constituency building • Empowerment • Others.....

19. #5 Setting your Advocacy Aim & Objective • Advocacy Aim ~ Your vision of what you wish to achieve/ change • Advocacy Objectives ~ to achieve the aim • Must be SMART: • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Time bound

20. Specific • WHAT would you like government to do? • Specify an action - NOT what the problem is, rather the solution that you want. • Not that a group has worse health outcomes, but that information on health rights is not available to them • Be specific and clear • Instead of setting a goal to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS….. set a specific goal to introduce a harm reduction program. www.internationalbudget.org

21. Measurable • If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. • Here ‘measurement’ refers to THE AMOUNT you want government to raise or spend differently. • We want 1, 000 Manat to be spent on harm reduction program, not ‘government must put in place a harm reduction program’ • Not all problems can be solved by the budget. • Discrimination against Roma communities www.internationalbudget.org

22. Attainable • Goals you set which are too far out of reach, you and your partners probably won't commit to doing, at least not a second time. • ‘Make Poverty History’ not attainable in the short term. But annual report on MDGs. • Big enough to matter, Small enough to make a difference www.internationalbudget.org

23. Realistic • Budgets are rigid because of political compromises, budget rigidities etc • Not everything can be changed immediately • Propose a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. • How can what you propose be done in this year’s budget? • How much do you want government to spend and where should they get it? www.internationalbudget.org

24. Timely • Be realistic, but set a timeframe for the goal: for this financial year, the MTEF, 2015. • If you don't set a time or too long a timeframe, the commitment is too vague. • For big and long-term goals - progressive realisation www.internationalbudget.org

25. Thank You! Teresa Guthrie teresa@cegaa.org