ACPST course: Advocacy and human security 2014
The course brought together 23 participants from 15 countries to discuss issues such as youth, human rights, violence and reconciliation and rural land management.
Date: 2014-06-09 to 2014-06-20
Venue: Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Changes in attitudes, policy and practice are needed among leaders and society in general in order to combat emerging threats like domestic violence, waste management and environmental degradation, the management of diversity, conducting peaceful elections, and combatting human trafficking and drug trafficking. Advocacy and campaigning skills by practitioners in the peace and security sectors will significantly improve their ability to bring about change. Unfortunately, the skills required for running successful advocacy campaigns are lacking among many practitioners working on human security issues in Africa.
The course brought together 23 participants from 15 countries. Participants included practitioners from both the state and non-state sectors who are involved in or interested in advocacy and human security. Participants worked on issues as diverse as youth, human rights, violence and reconciliation and rural land management.
The following specific questions were addressed during the course:
- What is advocacy?
- How do you build and implement effective advocacy campaigns?
- How does one do advocacy on human security issues?
- How can advocacy help peace and security practitioners in Africa become more effective in their work?
- How can effective advocacy campaigns help in the fight against threats to human security?
During the training, participants acquired the skills and tools needed to develop and implement specific strategies. Each participant developed an advocacy campaign strategy in an area of her/his choice. This included undertaking an analysis of the context, stakeholder mapping, and developing a campaign identity, a monitoring and evaluation framework, a media strategy and press pack, and a policy brief.
Course director: Valérie Traoré, Executive Director, NIYEL (niyel.net), a campaign agency based in Dakar
Trainers:
- Celine Bankumuhari, Regional Human Security Coordinator, Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA)
- Nafi Traore, campaigner specialising in policy research and analysis relating to development in Africa, NIYEL
- Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, novelist and short story writer
- Irmin Durand, communication and messaging specialist, NIYEL
- Antoine Alain Diatta, graphic designer, NIYEL
- Laetitia Sadiya Badolo, campaigner, NIYEL
- Deo Odie, grassroots mobiliser, NIYEL
