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Advocacy and Lobbying

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.

September 28, 2013
Bulgaria's Ex EU Commissioner Roots for More Women in Politics

More women must take leadership positions in Bulgarian politics, argued former Bulgarian EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva.

In an interview for Darik Radio Saturday, Kuneva reiterated her calls for a thorough change of the very "model" of Bulgarian politics.

September 23, 2013
Political involvement encouraged for high school women, USA

About 80 young women from Tucson High Magnet School participated in the Running and Winning Political Workshop Thursday.

September 17, 2013
Women at Work: The Village Head, India

There have been quite a few woman sarpanches — elected heads villages — in India. But, arguably there have been few like Chhavi Rajawat, the current sarpanch of Soda village in Rajasthan, who left a corporate job to help her ancestral village develop. Ms.

September 16, 2013
Fulfil agenda to promote women’s rights, Ghana

The Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC) has called on the government and gender rights organisations to take stock of what it described as “the unfulfilled agenda of promoting women’s rights.”

September 4, 2013
Malaysia praised on women

Malaysia came in for particular praise at the ongoing 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference here for instituting changes that allowed the participation of more women in the political process, at least within the Commonwealth grouping.

September 3, 2013
Rising voice for women activists of Burma

The Women’s Initiative Network for Peace (Win-Peace) has expressed serious concern at the continued imprisonment of hundreds of political prisoners including women activists in various Burmese jails and urged the reform savvy from President Thein Sein to take necessary initiative to release t

September 3, 2013
As Malaysia turns 50, Nurul Izzah fights for inclusive politics

Future Prime Minister of Malaysia. Mother. Wife. Friend. Daughter of the mercurial and charismatic Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Nurul Izzah is all these and more.

September 2, 2013
The women of Greenham Common taught a generation how to protest, United Kingdom

It is often said that the protest at Greenham Common was ineffectual. The eventual closure of the US base at Newbury is deemed to have been an almost inadvertent side effect of much more important (ie male) political forces.

August 28, 2013
New Executive Director for UN Women meets with civil society members in New York and pledges close collaboration