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1、1ECB: Adventures in PartneringCase Study D: Joint Advocacy in Bangladesh Everybody winsOne of ECBs biggest achievements in 2010 was the development of a joint advocacy strategy in Bangladesh, which had far reaching results. The reconstruction of hundreds of kilometres of coastal embankments that had
2、 been damaged in Cyclone Aila was speeded up. These embankments were essential in protecting communities and reconstruction efforts from impending monsoon rains. It also resulted in donors releasing more funding, increasing resources for post disaster rehabilitation. In addition, the strategy provid
3、ed a platform for Government engagement in drafting a new Disaster Management Act. National Government appreciated working with agencies, both as a source of feedback and expertise and as a future channel to create greater community awareness of the law. This paper describes how the strategy came ab
4、out and the benefits of doing so.The ECB Bangladesh consortium brings together Save the Children (lead), CARE, Concern, Oxfam, World Vision, the Government of Bangladesh and UNDP. These agencies worked together to develop an advocacy strategy that focused on seven core issues around the enactment of
5、 Bangladeshs first Disaster Management Act1. Under the ECB umbrella, panels of local experts were convened to feed into the development of the Act, particularly around DRR. This has given agencies significant influence on an Act that will shape disaster management in one of the worlds most vulnerabl
6、e countries for years to come.Collaboration enhancing National Office impactReuben Marandy, HEA Manager is WV Bangladeshs focal point in the ECB Consortia. He concludes that “WV trying to manage on its own is not very effective, but working together through the ECB group has a much more powerful, co
7、ordinated message”. Similar to many other contexts, in Bangladesh the Government and others listen more to a group than a single agency, so it is not uncommon for advocacy practioners to join efforts on a particular issue. However, 1 The Advocacy Strategy contains an analysis of how a comprehensive
8、Act would include detailed clarification on government jurisdiction, resource assessment and resource allocation procedures, and compliance measures. This inter-agency group strategy also highlights the need for an Operational Plan to be developed by the government, in close partnership with the hum
9、anitarian community, to improve the potential impact of coordinated disaster preparedness and response activities across Bangladesh. 1For a summary of the contents of the Disaster Management Act see the box on page 2.Agencies came together to produce a joint policy brief that helped to bring about G
10、overnment action to speed up vital reconstruction efforts2the Bangladesh situation is unusual because the strategy is based on broader, longer term relationships between agencies collaborating at national and local levels. Participating in the development and implementation of the strategy was a gre
11、at experience for WV Bangladesh. According to Reuben, “It changed our perceptions, helping us to look beyond our organisations traditional “boundaries” and “territory”. Advocacy was not given much emphasis in the past. The agency has traditionally maintained a low profile in country and has not been
12、 as skilled at it as others. However, advocacy through a consortium has enabled WV to draw on and complement the skills and profile of all consortium members pooling the legitimacy and influence of all organisations. Through ECB, WV Bangladesh feels their impact through a joint advocacy campaign can
13、 be more effective than working alone.ECB support for the development of the strategyEach ECB consortium has developed a 5 year plan outlining what consortia members would like to do together. In Bangladesh, this provided a longer term focus on relationships that formed a foundation on which agencie
14、s, Government and the UN could work together. Reuben observes that “Advocacy is about a broad platform, and ECB provides this. The group first reaches consensus on specific advocacy themes and approaches, and then works together to implement and achieve them”. ECB provided further support by funding
15、 a consultant to draft the strategy. Agency staff came together at the start and the end of the process to set parameters and agree the final product. Within that six month period, the consultant was able to review the existing strategies of all participating agencies, and then develop a joint strat
16、egy that all could agree on. By using this approach, the strategy was developed quickly while still reflecting agency viewpoints. This also placed minimum demands on agency staff time.Combining longer term gains with short term achievementsThis joint ECB advocacy approach has resulted in two significant achievements. First, the joint advocacy strategy provided a common basis to provide input into
