Basics of Advocacy

From 17-21 September 2018, the Regional Advocacy Workshop in Eastern Europe was held in Durres (Albania). Bernd Steimann, Development Policy Coordinator, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, and Zenebe Uraguchi,  a Development Economist with multi-country experience conducted the workshop. This event brought together project directors, intervention managers, project officers, and other representatives of different Helvetas projects, private and public sector representatives in the region, and development partners such as GIZ, SDC, and USAID etc.

Participants were presented with the Helvetas Advocacy Concept and shown how to develop an ambitious but realistic advocacy strategy in eight simple steps. Starting from problem statements to proposed solutions based on system thinking tools. Continuing with the Theory of Change and how to draft a step-by-step advocacy strategy and measure advocacy’s success (and failure).

The workshop continued with a meeting with Eglantina Gjermeni, a Member of Parliament, former minister of urban development and tourism, and civic society activist to “walk the talk” of advocacy and policy-making. An exchange and panel discussion with development partners GIZ, SDC, and USAID were held at the end to exchange on practices of various development agencies.

Interested to learn more about Helvetas advocacy concept, take a look here: