February 4, 2010
By Lavinia Mohr

WACC, represented by its Director of Programmes, Lavinia Mohr, was among participants from 17 countries around the world who gathered in Geneva in January 2010 to help guide the strengthening of advocacy capacity in the international ecumenical community. The newly launched Action by Churches Together ACT Alliance and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) co-sponsored the meeting that brought together representatives of national and international organisations such as Bread for the World (Germany), ICCO (Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation – Netherlands), Christian Aid (UK), Bread for All (Switzerland), the Church of Sweden, Finn Church Aid, Caritas Internationalis, the World YWCA and World Alliance of YMCAs, the All Africa Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Near East Council of Churches, the Church of North India, the Economic Justice Network in southern Africa, CESE (Ecumenical Coordination of Services) in Brazil, and RDRS (Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service) in Bangladesh.

In October to December 2009, EAA and ACT conducted a survey to identify advocacy capacity strengthening needs and priorities of its members. The Geneva workshop reviewed the major findings of that survey, identified key issues and deliberated on the survey report's recommendations. Participants also shared experiences in advocacy strengthening. EAA presented an overview of its Food for Life campaign, and ACT Alliance introduced its advocacy policy.

Participants identified several aspects of advocacy capacity that need strengthening: better sharing of network members' advocacy materials and resources; better use of electronic advocacy tools including social networking; and better monitoring and evaluation of advocacy results and impact. Specific recommendations were also made for EAA's Food for Life campaign.

EAA and ACT Alliance will soon be undertaking initiatives to carry forward the recommendations of the survey report and the workshop to strengthen advocacy capacity among their member networks.

World Alliance for Christian Communication