Advocacy for climate change adaptation and resilience

Policy change rarely happens overnight and is often linked to broader change in the political environment

Advocacy is the active support of an idea or cause expressed through strategies and methods that influence the opinions and decisions of people and organizations. In the social and economic development context the aims of advocacy are to create or change policies, laws, regulations, distribution of resources or other decisions that affect people’s lives and to ensure that such decisions lead to implementation. Such advocacy is generally directed at policy makers including politicians, government officials and public servants, but also private sector leaders whose decisions impact upon people’s lives, as well as those whose opinions and actions influence policy makers, such as journalists and the media, development agencies and NGOs. By “pro-poor advocacy” we mean advocacy for political decisions and actions that respond to the interests of people who directly face poverty and disadvantage.

For those pursuing the goal of equitable and pro-poor climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience access, advocacy as a means to bring about change can be appropriate in a range of circumstances, including: i. Where government and climate change based international organizations’ plan and policies could have the effect of reinforcing the adaptation, mitigation and resilience of climate change affects; ii. When appropriate policy change could be expected to improve climate change affected people’s lives and livelihoods. For example, the adoption and mitigation of climate change affects and broadcasting plan and policies that enables community-based organizations, local and national government to establish their information, knowledge, services and resources and make ensure the access of affected communities and people in these essential elements; iii. As part of a wider programme of support for pro-poor adaptation and mitigation access. For example, the impact and effectiveness of role and responsibilities of local and national duty bearers and state guardians such as local parliamentarian, parliamentarian committees along with national and international organizations in compliance to the climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience may be improved by advocacy efforts to adopt and mainstream good practice such as community participation in management or use of free and open source of press and electronic media. In this aspect, advocacy is inherently political and an understanding of political dynamics is at the heart of effective advocacy.

Even the most clear-minded advocacy for pro-poor climate change effect, mitigation, resilience and adaptation policies can meet resistance for various reasons, including lack of political will, bureaucratic inertia, and counter arguments from well-resourced interest groups pursuing their own advocacy efforts. Effective advocacy therefore requires research to map out the policy terrain, the principal actors, the political relations and the interests at stake. In the policy field of mitigation, resilience and adaptation this terrain typically will include government departments, communications regulators, telecommunications service providers, media organizations, sector associations and growing numbers of civil society interest groups and Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Hence, careful advocacy planning and a strategic approach are therefore needed if results are to be achieved.

Policy change rarely happens overnight and is often linked to broader change in the political environment. Effective advocacy requires long-term as well as short-term thinking, an understanding of the points of resistance and the means to gain traction, the readiness to form alliances, and the flexibility to seize windows of opportunity. Moreover, some of the more commonly used advocacy techniques, from critical engagement such as policy monitoring and policy dialogue, through organized campaigns for new policies and reformation of current policies to resilience and mitigation of climate changes for the victims. It highlights the importance for people facing disadvantage to be able to assert their own needs and interests. It explains step by step how to devise an effective advocacy strategy for policy formation and reformation.

Almost all effective policy-related advocacy efforts commence with observation and monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of policies already in place. Policy, plan and programme monitoring by the civil society, NGOs and CBOs advocacy groups can, on its own, contribute to improve policy and plan implementation and effectiveness by highlighting public policy targets and drawing public attention to under performance or to policy failure. Governments and public bodies, especially in Bangladesh, are sensitive to critical reports, and more so when these are based on robust evidence and analysis, come from a credible source, and are widely published and disseminated. Where the information is slim, poor or unreliable, or where independent data is needed, civil society organizations, NGOs and CBOs and their coalitions may organize their own action research and data gathering, or they may rely on academic research. Right to information laws can help and, in countries where such laws are weak or absent, their adoption or improvement has itself been a key demand of civil society organizations, not only those working in the communication policy field. In some cases investigative journalism may be needed to root out and expose policy failings. Impact may often be enhanced by involving citizens, civil society organizations, NGOs and CBOs in the process of policy monitoring and review and by gathering demand-side data using techniques such as community surveys, social audits and participatory policy review. Such social accountability mechanisms will gain the increasing recognition as effective means of strengthening civic engagement in policy making and policy monitoring. Building the advocacy capacity of stakeholder groups: As noted in the introduction to this article, poor people face systemic barriers in their access to information and in their means to exercise their right to freedom of expression. The lack of “voice” of disadvantaged groups is a challenge at the core of pro-poor advocacy in Bangladesh on adaptation, mitigation and resilience access. It is one of the reasons why advocacy for equitable access to Climate change affects Policies, Plan and Implementation is important and emerging. At the same time, it compromises the ability of disadvantaged people themselves to advocate for their own adaption with the adverse situation growing with the changes of climates and their emerging needs. This is a critical issue that demands the attention of any organization engaged in pro-poor advocacy.

Hence, it is significant in terms of climate change and advocacy that “pro-poor advocacy” means advocacy for political and state decisions and actions that respond to the interests of the communities and people who directly face climate change affects and disadvantage. They are the primary stakeholders. Their lack of voice can be overcome in two distinct ways. One is assertion (or, more precisely, self-assertion) of the underprivileged and affected through community organizations in collaboration with the NGOs and local government. The other is solidarity with the underprivileged on the part of other members of the societies, whose interests and commitments are broadly linked, and who are often better placed to advance the cause of the disadvantaged by virtue of their own privileges (e.g., formal education, access to the media, economic resources, and political connections). This may include, for example, strengthening the communications capacity of disadvantaged people’s organizations and support for development of grassroots communication initiatives like community radio and other means of actions. Such strategies can be effective in enabling people who are disadvantaged and marginalized to speak out directly on the issues that affect their lives and livelihoods. The Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), for example, is a national network that combines a programme of advocacy in policy areas such as right to information, community broadcasting and e-governance, with practical support for rural knowledge centers and community radio stations.

The writer is consultant, Community Development Centre (CODEC),

Chattagram, Bangladesh.

 

Advocacy for climate change adaptation and resilience

Policy change rarely happens overnight and is often linked to broader change in the political environment

Advocacy is the active support of an idea or cause expressed through strategies and methods that influence the opinions and decisions of people and organizations. In the social and economic development context the aims of advocacy are to create or change policies, laws, regulations, distribution of resources or other decisions that affect peoples lives and to ensure that such decisions lead to implementation. Such advocacy is generally directed at policy makers including politicians, government officials and public servants, but also private sector leaders whose decisions impact upon peoples lives, as well as those whose opinions and actions influence policy makers, such as journalists and the media, development agencies and NGOs. By pro-poor advocacy we mean advocacy for political decisions and actions that respond to the interests of people who directly face poverty and disadvantage. For those pursuing the goal of equitable and pro-poor climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience access, advocacy as a means to bring about change can be appropriate in a range of circumstances, including: i. Where government and climate change based international organizations plan and policies could have the effect of reinforcing the adaptation, mitigation and resilience of climate change affects; ii. When appropriate policy change could be expected to improve climate change affected peoples lives and livelihoods. For example, the adoption and mitigation of climate change affects and broadcasting plan and policies that enables community-based organizations, local and national government to establish their information, knowledge, services and resources and make ensure the access of affected communities and people in these essential elements; iii. As part of a wider programme of support for pro-poor adaptation and mitigation access. For example, the impact and effectiveness of role and responsibilities of local and national duty bearers and state guardians such as local parliamentarian, parliamentarian committees along with national and international organizations in compliance to the climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience may be improved by advocacy efforts to adopt and mainstream good practice such as community participation in management or use of free and open source of press and electronic media. In this aspect, advocacy is inherently political and an understanding of political dynamics is at the heart of effective advocacy. Even the most clear-minded advocacy for pro-poor climate change effect, mitigation, resilience and adaptation policies can meet resistance for various reasons, including lack of political will, bureaucratic inertia, and counter arguments from well-resourced interest groups pursuing their own advocacy efforts. Effective advocacy therefore requires research to map out the policy terrain, the principal actors, the political relations and the interests at stake. In the policy field of mitigation, resilience and adaptation this terrain typically will include government departments, communications regulators, telecommunications service providers, media organizations, sector associations and growing numbers of civil society interest groups and Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Hence, careful advocacy planning and a strategic approach are therefore needed if results are to be achieved. Policy change rarely happens overnight and is often linked to broader change in the political environment. Effective advocacy requires long-term as well as short-term thinking, an understanding of the points of resistance and the means to gain traction, the readiness to form alliances, and the flexibility to seize windows of opportunity. Moreover, some of the more commonly used advocacy techniques, from critical engagement such as policy monitoring and policy dialogue, through organized campaigns for new policies and reformation of current policies to resilience and mitigation of climate changes for the victims. It highlights the importance for people facing disadvantage to be able to assert their own needs and interests. It explains step by step how to devise an effective advocacy strategy for policy formation and reformation. Almost all effective policy-related advocacy efforts commence with observation and monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of policies already in place. Policy, plan and programme monitoring by the civil society, NGOs and CBOs advocacy groups can, on its own, contribute to improve policy and plan implementation and effectiveness by highlighting public policy targets and drawing public attention to under performance or to policy failure. Governments and public bodies, especially in Bangladesh, are sensitive to critical reports, and more so when these are based on robust evidence and analysis, come from a credible source, and are widely published and disseminated. Where the information is slim, poor or unreliable, or where independent data is needed, civil society organizations, NGOs and CBOs and their coalitions may organize their own action research and data gathering, or they may rely on academic research. Right to information laws can help and, in countries where such laws are weak or absent, their adoption or improvement has itself been a key demand of civil society organizations, not only those working in the communication policy field. In some cases investigative journalism may be needed to root out and expose policy failings. Impact may often be enhanced by involving citizens, civil society organizations, NGOs and CBOs in the process of policy monitoring and review and by gathering demand-side data using techniques such as community surveys, social audits and participatory policy review. Such social accountability mechanisms will gain the increasing recognition as effective means of strengthening civic engagement in policy making and policy monitoring. Building the advocacy capacity of stakeholder groups: As noted in the introduction to this article, poor people face systemic barriers in their access to information and in their means to exercise their right to freedom of expression. The lack of voice of disadvantaged groups is a challenge at the core of pro-poor advocacy in Bangladesh on adaptation, mitigation and resilience access. It is one of the reasons why advocacy for equitable access to Climate change affects Policies, Plan and Implementation is important and emerging. At the same time, it compromises the ability of disadvantaged people themselves to advocate for their own adaption with the adverse situation growing with the changes of climates and their emerging needs. This is a critical issue that demands the attention of any organization engaged in pro-poor advocacy. Hence, it is significant in terms of climate change and advocacy that pro-poor advocacy means advocacy for political and state decisions and actions that respond to the interests of the communities and people who directly face climate change affects and disadvantage. They are the primary stakeholders. Their lack of voice can be overcome in two distinct ways. One is assertion (or, more precisely, self-assertion) of the underprivileged and affected through community organizations in collaboration with the NGOs and local government. The other is solidarity with the underprivileged on the part of other members of the societies, whose interests and commitments are broadly linked, and who are often better placed to advance the cause of the disadvantaged by virtue of their own privileges (e.g., formal education, access to the media, economic resources, and political connections). This may include, for example, strengthening the communications capacity of disadvantaged peoples organizations and support for development of grassroots communication initiatives like community radio and other means of actions. Such strategies can be effective in enabling people who are disadvantaged and marginalized to speak out directly on the issues that affect their lives and livelihoods. The Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), for example, is a national network that combines a programme of advocacy in policy areas such as right to information, community broadcasting and e-governance, with practical support for rural knowledge centers and community radio stations. The writer is consultant, Community Development Centre (CODEC), Chattagram, Bangladesh.