Advocacy and lobbying are activities that represent and promote the needs of specific groups in political and social arenas. One such group is women, who can collectively pressure their leaders for legislative reforms to protect and promote women’s rights and concerns. It is the goal of advocacy groups and lobbyists to ensure that both the public and politicians understand and support their cause, so that it gains strength and credibility. Securing rights and gains for women requires coalition-building, funding, civic education, awareness-raising and individuals willing to lead the way.
While the goals of advocacy and lobbying are similar, the processes are distinctly different. Advocacy involves gaining and exercising power to influence a political action. Employing methods such as demonstrations, public campaigns and civic education, advocacy can be the primary mission of international agencies and civil society organizations seeking to influence global and national decision makers. Women worldwide frequently organize themselves for advocacy purposes, drawing on their collective power to affect legislation, official policies and governmental programs. Lobbying, however, refers to influencing the government and its leaders. Lobbyists attempt to sway policy makers and legislators to address specific issues, often by introducing or revising legislation and policy. Lobbying activities may include private meetings with decision makers, public campaigns and demonstrations.
Senior United Nations officials today stressed the need to promote the participation of women in decision-making, noting that democracy and gender equality are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.
Women in Southern Africa will soon move a step closer to having equal rights and opportunities with men when a regional gender protocol is ratified in coming weeks. Half of the 15 SADC member states have already ratified the Protocol on Gender and Development.
The Lebanese Women’s Council called Friday on all women’s rights groups to put politics aside and unite toward holding MPs accountable in the coming elections.
Saudi Arabian women ushered in a wave of new suffragettes when over 50 women risked arrest last Friday in defiance of the driving ban. Even riding a bicycle is forbidden to women in Saudi Arabia.
NDI announced today that it is awarding its 2011 Madeleine K. Albright Grant to Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development (ACT), a women's rights organization from Egypt.
Hillary Clinton’s speech was met with silence from the male-dominated envoys at the African Union as she criticized the continents aging autocrats. The mood changed when the U.S. Secretary of State turned her attention to women.
Women in minority and indigenous communities are especially vulnerable to wide-ranging forms of violence, abuse and discrimination, according to a new report released Wednesday by Minority Rights Group International (MRG), a human rights group that works on behalf of minorities and indigenous pe
DUBAI: Women are pushing forward on gaining more rights within their respective societies across the Islamic world, professor Amina Jamal of Ryerson University in Canada said at a seminar on Islam.
At the gathering in a hotel on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, there was talk of canvassing “highly persuadable” voters, campaign budgets and media strategies.