International Lobby & Advocacy 2016

In the Strategic Partnership (SP) between AWEPA, NIMD and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), International Lobby and Advocacy (ILA) forms a key component. The ultimate goal of the ILA efforts within the context of the Strategic Partnership Programme is to reinforce the in-country lobby and advocacy capacities and activities of implementing partners and (indirectly) civil society organisations in the countries that AWEPA and NIMD work in, with the aim to influence the enabling environment for effective policy influencing. By creating interlinkages between lobby and advocacy activities at the various levels (national, regional and international) and strengthening the policy influencing capacities of local actors, the impact of lobby and advocacy on issues that emanate from national policy agendas is sought to be maximised. Apart from strengthening the lobby and advocacy capacities of local actors, the SP sets out two broad agendas for ILA for 2016-2020: 1) to ensure that the importance of an enabling environment for lobby and advocacy is recognised, including the critical role of parties and parliaments to foster peace and stability and to reflect this in international and regional policy and legal and regulatory frameworks; and 2) to influence international and regional policies on political party support and parliamentary strengthening, including the allocation of sufficient donor funds.