Session 1: Introduction to global policy advocacy

Time zone 1: Wednesday, 7 August (7:00 - 8:30 UTC)

Time zone 2: Thursday, 8 August (15:00 - 16:30 UTC)

Objective: This session will introduce discussions for understanding policy advocacy. The aim is to enable participants to understand what international advocacy is and what its limits are. By the end of the session participants will have a better understanding of why policy advocacy is undertaken, where it has succeeded and when it has failed. 

Session plan:

The session will aim to cover questions such as:

• What is international advocacy?
• Who is it targeted towards?
• Who are the main stakeholders in this space and what are their interests?
• What is the relationship between national and international advocacy?
• How has the digital era impacted international advocacy spaces?
• What are the challenges and limitations of international advocacy?
• Some examples of where it has worked, and where it has failed 

Session exercise:

During the session, participants will be split into breakout groups. Groups will be pre-assigned by the organising team.

Each group will be invited to identify an issue related to digital rights that can leverage global advocacy into local discussions, and asked to think about how to approach global policy advocacy in relation to that issue by responding to a series of questions.

Timezone 1:

TZ1|EN: Group1 Exercise

TZ1|EN: Group2 Exercise

TZ1|EN: Group3 Exercise

Timezone 2 

TZ2|EN: Group 1 Exercise

TZ2|EN: Group 2 Exercise

TZ2|ESP: Group 3 Exercise

TZ2|ESP: Group 4 Exercise

*Reading materials and tables are hyperlinked, please click the text to access

Reading Materials:

Suggested Readings 

1. The Advocates for Human Rights, Advocacy in Human Rights (Chapter 6)

2. APC, The APC ICT Policy Handbook (Second Edition)

3. Eóin Young & Lisa Quinn, Making Research Evidence Matter: A Guide to Policy Advocacy in Transition Countries 
4. APC, Frequently asked questions about multi-stakeholder partnerships in ICTs for development: A guide for national ICT policy animators
5. Enrico Calandro, Alison N. Gillwald, & Nicolo Zingales, Multistakeholderism and Consensus Based Decision Making

Additional Readings 

1. Johanna Eve Simeant, Interpreting the Rise of International “Advocacy”

2. Shannon O'Connell, Policy Development and Policy Advocacy 

3. Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Introduction to Advocacy
4. APC, Inside the Information Society The what and why of multistakeholder participation 
5. APC, Inside the Information Society: Multistakeholder participation, a work in progress
6. Research ICT Africa, Mapping Multistakeholderism in Internet Governance: Implications for Africa

Representations:

1. Advocacy Levels with Examples

2. Tips on advocacy

3. Multi Stakeholder Model
4. Benefits and Challenges of Multistakeholderism
5. Multistakeholderism and the deliberative process

📌 Presentation Slide:

• ENGLISH
• SPANISH