The International Federation For Human Rights - Essay Example

Advocacy is at the heart of the organizational strategy of the FIDH. It is usually defined as actions that seek to bring about changes in law, policies, practices, and attitudes at one or multiple levels. Advocacy aims to change policy, and therefore it is necessarily directed at the bodies, institutions, and individuals that are in charge of designing, adopting, and implementing those policies. A deep understanding of the political environment in which such advocacy takes place is crucial. This task involves identifying the individuals who hold the power and comprehending the decision-making process and the governance structure. An effective advocacy strategy necessarily entails an understanding of the power relationship and politics at each level of operation (local, national, and international).

There are four different types of advocacy actions: lobbying (trying to directly influence decision-makers), public campaigning (trying to engage the public and mobilize visible support for a cause), media work (raising public awareness on an issue with the aim of trying to change public attitudes and behavior while fostering support) and capacity building (increasing the knowledge and skills of those affected by a particular issue). An advocacy project can combine different approaches which are simultaneously directed at different target audiences, or it can choose one approach directed at the same target audience over a specific length of time.  Advocacy organizations can also decide to join forces. For example, multiple organizations with the same goal may strategize to employ different approaches (each using their strongest skills and resources) to the same advocacy target in order to intensify pressure on the latter. 

Advocacy work has been facilitated in recent years by the increasing participation of civil society (including NGOs) through the opening of what professionals in this sector have dubbed 'invited space' by governments and institutions. Most governments and institutions understand the importance of civil society participation. Over the last few decades, we have witnessed the emergence of increasing numbers of these so-called "invited spaces".  This expression is used to describe those new spaces open to civil society (people, users, citizens, or beneficiaries) by different types of authorities such as government, supranational agencies, or NGOs in an attempt by these entities to widen participation. These 'invited spaces' can either be regularized or more transient, such as for example an annual forum or a one-off consultation period on a particular issue.