Legislative Advocacy Partners Skill Building Workshop nr. 4 Strengthening Voices from Southeast How to Build Coalitions Topic: Allies & Opponents, experts, lawmakers, communication, how to organize sustainable engagement

Liberia CSOs WASH Network Perspective Presenter: Atty. John Y. Jukon Date: October 25, 2013

Best practice Mobilizing and Building Allies

List of Allies Media

Meetings for awareness building Training workshops for increase capacity and special focus Encourage their organization into a WASH focus media platform

Local government officials

Inception meeting and providing important information Linking WASH with economic and social development impact Tailoring our advocacy key messages with their challenges Making them part of our engagement from the very beginning (development of key messages, identify volunteers, deriving recommendations etc)

International organizations

Inviting them in advocacy activity planning, key messages determination Tailoring advocacy engagement with their mission, vision and mandate Open to taking their suggestions and thoughts in your engagement

National government officials

Held dinner meetings and share engagement intent and take their input Accommodate their legitimate concerns in key messages and engagement design Our action highlight their legitimate concern and interest

List of Opponents Media

Local government officials

National government officials

Action Taken Be transparent to them and in intervention Regular information sheering and engagement Make honest attempts to address their concerns Respect their opinion and do not antagonize them Persistently engage Make efforts to address legitimate concerns or issues Keep room open to accept them over time Be cautious and do not compete with them Why they are Opponents: Benefits from spoils Have vested interest and benefit from system you want change Have certain concerns that they want address Project masters and in the interest of individual or groups  want to show supremacy and power

List of Experts Media

Policy and Advocacy Papers Writing Citizens engagement and mobilization Legal

Action Taken Hire some services Recruited from membership as contribution Requested from international partners as capacity building support Share papers through emails with different professionals for inputs Expertise Provided: Budget tracking and analysis Policy analysis and deliverable tracking Delivering training for skills building in different areas Proposal writing, resource mobilization, project and programs management Public campaign strategy and citizens mobilization Using citizens engagement tools (PETs, Score Card, social audit News letters and press statements development and circulation Public relation consultation Legal appraisal of advocacy issues and papers

Lawmakers Action Taken Influence them to sign pledge card Presented petitions and policy briefs to inform their decision making Hold joint meeting to dialogue on common interest Form legislative champion team Established interpersonal relationship beyond official dom Maintain contact and good relationship with their key staff Alain our program with their legislative agenda and schedule Hold lunch and dinner meetings Did engagement by regional and county focus Ensuring the evidence base influences social policy change

Rights Based Budget Advocacy

Communication Action Taken Took report dissemination to discussion centers Publish activities and reports using social media platform Upload reports and advocacy messages on national, international and membership websites Held press conferences, press briefing, talk shows, develop news letters Share reports and key messages with public officials and development partners in hard copy

Session How Working to Organize Sustainable Engagement Make sure citizens are involve from the very beginning (planning,  Budget Advocacy: why do it - what is it - what does it look like? design, implementation) Put citizens or beneficiaries in access to information and resources Establish local drivenissues by the citizens andtoday’s beneficiaries  Picking up platform on the advocacy identified during working session – linking them to targets and influentials themselves Capacitate them about process of engagement and how to form and express their opinion orderly with respect Gather citizens or beneficiaries interest through tailoring intervention to the needs of the beneficiaries Citizens must lead in the making of decision and implementation

Meeting with President Sirleaf