Advocacy

Empowered citizens, who are networked and speaking with one voice, have the potential to serve as powerful change agents who have an impact on policy making and the enforcement of existing policies. While most often associated with our democracy and governance work, advocacy is also relevant to the other sectors in which Pact operates. Overall, 25 percent of our projects include an advocacy component. In the HIV/AIDS arena, policies that defend the rights of HIV positive citizens or that promote universal access to free antiretroviral drugs might be the product of efforts by associations of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIVs); in the NRM sector, networks of environmental NGOs might work together with NGOs concerned with livelihoods of people living in tropical forest lands to pass policies to protect the forest from clear cutting, while guaranteeing the economic well-being of villagers in these areas.

Pact helps our partners identify issues of common concern, plan effective advocacy messages and campaigns, build coalitions and networks that can articulate these messages, identify and target decision-makers who have the power to change policies, and implement successful campaigns.