| Authors: Dianne Hubbard; Delia Ramsbotham; Nicky Marais
Publisher: Legal Assistance Centre
Windhoek, 2004
ISBN 99916-765-9-7
Soft cover, 21x30 cm, 336 pages, many illustrations and photos
This manual is aimed primarily at NGOs and grassroots-based groups who are interested in increasing their advocacy skills, it should also be of interest to office-bearers at the local, regional and national level. It would be particularly helpful as an orientation for new office-bearers. The manual will be published first In English, as most government lobbying requires communication in English. Translation into other languages will be considered depending on demand.
This publication was prepared by the Legal Assistance Centre with support from the JL following organisations: Austrian Development Cooperation, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Women's Legal Rights Initiative through a grant from USAID. The following persons provided research for the manual: • Dianne Hubbard, Legal Assistance Centre
• Delia Ramsbotham, Legal Assistance Centre, intern through the Young Professionals International Internship Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada, coordinated through the Canadian Bar Association
• Maria-Laure Knapp, Legal Assistance Centre, intern in a program of Youth International Internship Programme (YIIP) of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) of Canada, coordinated through Acadia University in Canada
• Evelyn Zimba, Legal Assistance Centre
• Anne Rimmer, a Development Worker funded by International Cooperation for Development (ICD) through the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR). The contents of the manual were discussed at a workshop hosted by the Legal Assistance Centre and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs held on 6 November 2003. This workshop was opened by the Hon. Margie Mensah and attended by representatives of NGOs from various regions. Thanks to all those who attended and shared suggestions. We would like to thank the many government officials who took the time to answer queries and check drafts. Thanks in particular to the staff of Parliament for their assistance, specifically:
• Speaker's Office at the National Assembly
• Deputy Secretary Mr. Harker and his staff
• Clerks of the Parliamentary Committees
• National Assembly Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs
• National Assembly Legal Directorate
• Hansard Service
• Office of Library and Computer Services at the National Assembly. We would like to thank the staff of the following Ministries, Offices and Commissions:
• Office of the Attorney-General
• Office of the Ombudsman
• Law Reform and Development Commission
• National Planning Commission
• Municipality of Windhoek. We would also like to thank the following NGOs for their input:
• Idasa
• Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR)
• Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
• NANGOF
• Namibia Community Radio Network
• The Namibian
• NEPRU
• Sister Namibia
• Schoolnet
• Women's Action for Development (WAD). Illustrations re-printed from previous Legal Assistance Centre publications were drawn by Nicky Marais and Dudley Viall. Kind permission to re-print photographs and logos was given by:
• Amnesty International
• Legal Assistance Centre
• NDI
• Office of Library and Computer Services at the National Assembly
• Office of the Ombudsman
• Sister Namibia
• United Nations.
1. What is advocacy?
Advocacy is an effort to influence a law, a policy or some other decision. Advocacy can be directed at various levels of government, government bodies, or other institutions or individuals. For example, you could use advocacy to convince Parliament to pass a law on children's rights. You could use advocacy to persuade your regional council to provide better services for the elderly. You could use advocacy to pressure your local authority to take steps against illegal shebeens. You could use advocacy to lobby your local clinic to stay open in the evenings, or to convince your school to introduce a new extra-mural activity. You could use advocacy to affect a decision by a government body such as the Social Security Commission or a Communal Land Board. You could use advocacy skills to influence decisions by private organisations or individuals as well. For example, you might try to convince your church to play a more active role in speaking out on HIV. You might want to convince your employer to offer a better medical aid plan. You might want to persuade your traditional leader to involve more women in community decision-making. 2. Advocacy aimed at government
Namibia is a democracy. In a democracy citizens have a right to participate in the political process. No democracy can be strong without good citizen participation. The simplest way that citizens can participate is by voting in elections. Citizens 18 years of age and older are allowed to vote for representatives at many levels of government - local authorities, regional authorities, the National Assembly and the President. The right to vote in Namibia is guaranteed by the Constitution. But participation is more than just voting. Citizens have the right to have their voices and concerns heard by the government. Citizens are encouraged to share their opinions in ways other than voting. Every person in Namibia has the right to influence government decisions. The right to participate in all levels of decision-making is guaranteed by the Constitution. Advocacy aimed at influencing a specific government decision is sometimes called "lobbying". 3. Why advocacy is important in a democracy
A democracy is a system of government where supreme political power rests with the citizens of the country. The word democracy comes from a Greek word that means "rule by the people". In a representative democracy such as Namibia, decisions are made by the people's elected representatives. But representatives of the public cannot make decisions which serve the public interest without information from the public. Voting in elections is one form of feedback from the public, but voting on its own does not provide input on specific issues. People need to use other channels to make their voices heard on laws, policies and other decisions. This is where advocacy comes in. To be strong, a democracy needs three things:
(1) transparency, (2) accountability and (3) public participation. Transparency
Transparency refers to the openness of government. All interested persons should have access to important information and processes. They must be able to know and understand what the government does. This inspires trust and confidence in government on the part of the public. Openness gives government credibility in the eyes of the public. Openness means that government will be open to criticism. Criticism may come from the media, from opposition parties or from public debate. Criticism can help to make a government strong. For example, criticism can identify weaknesses in a law or policy that can be corrected. Criticism can also help to prevent corruption and abuse of power. Accountability
Accountability means that the government is answerable to the people. In a democracy, citizens vote for the government. If the government does not perform to the satisfaction of the voters, they can vote for another political party in the next elections. The people who are employed by the government are members of the "public service" - this means that they are there to serve the public. There are institutions that monitor government performance as a way of increasing accountability. Examples of such institutions include the Office of the Ombudsman, Office of the Auditor-General, independent media, and non-governmental organisations. Institutions such as these can monitor government decisions and actions in specific areas and then help to spread information about government performance to the public. [...]
PART A: METHODS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1 What is advocacy?
2 Advocacy aimed at government
3 Why advocacy is important in a democracy
4 Why do you need an advocacy manual?
5 Updating your advocacy manual
CHAPTER 2: PLANNING AN ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN
1 Resources
2 Ten steps in planning an advocacy campaign
STEP 1 Identify the issue
STEP 2 Identify other groups and individuals affected by the issue
STEP 3 Define your goal
STEP 4 Develop solutions
STEP 5 Build coalitions and networks
STEP 6 Identify decision-makers
STEP 7 identify your advocacy strategies
STEP 8 Involve the media
STEP 9 Build public awareness and support
STEP 10: Evaluate the results of your campaign and consider follow-up action
3 Approaches to advocacy
4 Staying motivated
HOW TO PLAN AN ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN: AN EXAMPLE
CHAPTER 3: MEETINGS WITN DECISION-MAKERS
1 Advantages of using personal meetings
2 Arranging a meeting
EXAMPLE OF A LETTER REQUESTING A MEETING
3 Presenting your concerns effectively
CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE MEETINGS
4 Follow-up action
EXAMPLE OF A FOLLOW-UP LETTER
CHAPTER 4: WRITING LETTERS
1 Benefits of letter writing campaigns
2 Picking your audience
3 Background information
4 Types of letters
EXAMPLE OF A PERSONAL LOBBYING LETTER
EXAMPLE OF AN OPEN LOBBYING LETTER
EXAMPLE OF A PREPARED LOBBYING LETTER
EXAMPLE OF A POSTCARD CAMPAIGN
CHAPTER 5: PETITIONS
1 What is a petition?
2 Where to send the petition
3 Recruiting support for a petition
4 Structure of a petition
EXAMPLE OF A PETITION
PETITION ON GENDER LAWS
5 Submitting a petition
GETTING YOUR PETITION NOTICED
6 Follow-up action
7 Getting copies of petitions
PETITION CHECKLIST
OUTLINE FOR A PETITION TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
SAMPLE PETITION
CHAPTER 6: PUBLIC EVENTS AND PROTESTS
1 Public meetings
CHECKLIST FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS
2 Public protests, demonstrations and vigils
EXAMPLE OF A LETTER SENT TO THE POLICE ABOUT A PUBLIC GATHERING
CHECKLIST FOR PUBLIC PROTESTS AND MARCHES
CHAPTER 7: USING THE MEDIA
1 Why use the media?
2 Establishing a media contact person for your group
3 Media deadlines
4 Press releases
TIPS FOR PRESS RELEASES
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASES
5 Photographs
6 Press conferences
CHECKLIST FOR PRESS CONFERENCES
7 Interviews
8 Letters to the editor
EXAMPLE OF A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
9 Key media contacts In Namibia
WHAT TO DO IF THE PRESS IS NOT REPORTING ON YOUR ISSUE
CHAPTER 8: USING COMPUTERS AND OTNER TECHNOLOGY
1 What is the internet?
2 How to use the internet for advocacy
3 Using email
EXAMPLE OF AN EMAIL DISCUSSION GROUP
4 Finding information on the internet
USING GOOGLE TO FIND FACTS
5 Lobbying and networking on the internet
GETTING HELP TO SET UP A WEBSITE
USING YOUR OWN WEBSITE FOR ADVOCACY
6 Access to computers and computer training
7 Video-conferencing
8 Using cellphones for advocacy
PART B: FROM COLONIALISM TO A NEW
CONSTITUTION
CHAPTER 9: HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT IN NAMIBIA
1 The pre-colonlal period
2 The colonial period
3 The struggle for independence
4 Namibia's first free and fair election
HISTORY OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN NAMIBIA
CHAPTER 10: NAMIBIAN CONSTITUTION
1 What is a Constitution?
2 writing the Namibian Constitution
3 A summary of the Namibian Constitution
4 The fundamental rights and freedoms
PART C: NOW OUR GOVERNMENT WORfr
CHAPTER 11: NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
1 Three branches of Government
2 Executive branch
3 Legislative branch
When is the National Assembly in Session?
When is the National Council in Session?
4 Judicial branch
5 Ombudsman
6 Auditor-General
7 central Bank
8 National Planning Commission
CHAPTER 12: REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
1 Regional councils
2 Local authorities
3 Traditional leaders
4 Decentralisation
CHAPTER 13: HOW LAWS ARE MADE
1 Three kinds of law
2 Testing laws against the Constitution
3 Creating statutes: how a bill becomes a law
STEP 1: Shaping the bill
STEP 2: Cabinet
STEP 3: Legal drafters & certification by Attorney-General
STEP 4: National Assembly
STEP 5: National Council
STEP 6: President
STEP 7: Courts (in some cases)
STEP 8: Government Gazette
CHAPTER 14: PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES
1 Procedural rules
2 Sessions and sittings
3 The mace
4 Quorums
5 Standard agenda
6 Order Papers
7 Understanding the basic procedures
GETTING COMMENTS TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
8 Question time
USING QUESTIONS FOR ADVOCACY
9 Role of parties, caucuses and party whips
10 Finding out what happens in Parliament
Attending Parliament in person
watching Parliament on television
Listening to Parliament on radio
Reading records of parliamentary proceedings CHAPTER 15: TRACKING BILLS
1 The importance of lobbying at early stages
QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN TRACKING A BILL
2 Getting information about a bill BEFORE it is tabled
3 Getting information about a bill AFTER it is tabled
4 Getting information about a bill that has been passed
TRACKING A BILL BY POST OR BY PHONE
CHAPTER 16: PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES
1 The role of Parliamentary committees
2 Standing committees of the National Assembly
3 Standing committees of the National Council
4 How to lobby through committees
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PUBLIC HEARING
5 Follow-up action
How to find out what the relevant committee recommended
What to do if you are not happy with the committee's recommendations
CHAPTER 17: NATIONAL BUDGET
1 What is a budget?
2 Function of the national budget
3 The budget cycle
4 Where does Government get its money?
5 How Government uses its money
6 Understanding the budget
7 Influencing the budget process
KEY QUESTIONS FOR BUDGET ADVOCATES
8 A new approach to the budget process
DICTIONARY OP KEY ADVOCACY TERMS
CONTACT INFORMATION
WHERE TO FIND THE CASE STUDIES
Multi Media Campaign on Violence Against Women and Children
Child Maintenance Campaign
Petition on 50/50 Bill
Law Reform on Gender
Black Thursdays to Protest Rape
White Ribbon campaign
Demonstrating Against Domestic violence
Candlelight Vigil on AIDS by the Treatment Action Forum
March to Parliament on International women's Day 2004
Disseminating Information on the Children's Status Act using Cellphones for Advocacy
Shaping the Namibian constitution
50/50 Campaign
Namibia Women's voice
National Land Policy
Combating of Domestic Violence Act
Quorums
Tracking the community Courts Bill
Combating of Rape Bill
Women's Budget initiative in South Africa | 
