September 13 2003, Geneva

September 13th 2003, Geneva: Effective Lobbying and Advocacy for Change and Gender Equality

More than 30 participants met in Geneva on 13 September to attend a one-day capacity building workshop on Effective Lobbying.

The session was open to women and men who work on advocacy issues for social justice and change in international organisations, governments, academia and civil society organisations. It  formed part of the Capacity Building activity of the WSIS Gender Caucus which aimed to ensure that the lobbying and advocacy geared to mainstreaming gender in the WSIS process is increasingly more effective. The session coincided with the WSIS Third Preparatory Committee Meeting, held in Geneva from 15-26 September 2003.

The orientation session had a practical focus with group sessions for developing strategies and enhancing skills needed for timely and effective lobbying and advocacy interventions. A major focus of the day was on building teamwork across diverse networks of gender advocates.

Upon completion of the session, participants were equipped with:

1. practical and theoretical understanding of team work, advocacy and lobbying as ways to achieve development and social justice goals, particularly as these intersect with gender equality goals and a gender mainstreaming approach;
2. new strategies for integrating teamwork, participation, human rights and advocacy into development initiatives, considering concrete tools and basic practical approaches within the context of the WSIS process; and
3. a comprehensive report of the session's achievements.
   

A limited number of small stipends to participants registered for Prepcom 3 were offered to cover the cost of an additional night's accommodation in Geneva.

For more information, please email Lettie Longwe at llongwe@genderwsis.org.

Background Documents and Registration Form

Invitation: MS Word | Adobe PDF

Orientation Session Background: MS Word | Adobe PDF

Orientation Session Draft Programme: MS Word | Adobe PDF

Orientation Participants List: MS Word | Adobe PDF