EUMAP.ORG NEWS
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EU MONITORING AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM
OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE
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1. ADVOCACY: Are civil society organisations any good at it?
(And what exactly IS it anyway?)
- EUMAP SURVEY: Civil society organisations and effective
advocacy
- CALL FOR PAPERS: Advocacy in action!
2. RECENT EUMAP.ORG NEWS:
- TROUBLED COMMUNITIES: COMBUSTIVE VULNERABILITY IN PARIS,
BIRMINGHAM AND BEYOND: New articles and archive of selected
reports and analysis available
- "TV ACROSS EUROPE" COUNTRY REPORTS: National launches in 14
capitals
- NEW IN THE ONLINE JOURNAL! Submitted Articles
--> Don't like this plain text version? Read the fancy version
of the survey and CfP announcement at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/announcements/cfp_mar06 and read
about other recent eumap.org news at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/newsletter_feb06.pdf <--
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1. ADVOCACY: ARE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS ANY GOOD AT IT?
(AND WHAT EXACTLY IS IT ANYWAY?)
Used in the context of civil society organisations (CSOs), the
term advocacy has become something of a catch-all term,
encompassing a wide range of activities carried out by NGOs.
Advocacy can be broadly defined as activism, or campaigning,
around a particular issue. However, its precise definition and
content are still an evolving concept.
To open a broad discussion on the theme of advocacy, EUMAP would
like to ask as many readers as possible to take the time to
contribute to our informal EUMAP Survey. We will compile the
results of the survey into a short online report on this theme.
As usual, we are also calling for short papers on the general
theme of CSOs and advocacy, with the intention of framing and
encouraging debate on this issue. Selected short papers will be
published on eumap.org.
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I. EUMAP SURVEY: CSOs and effective advocacy
If you work for a CSO carrying out advocacy activities -
particularly, but not only, NGOs in Europe - we are very
interested to receive your replies to this survey. What do YOU
understand by "advocacy"? And by "effective advocacy"?
We have designed the survey to be completed quickly online: Go
to http://www.eumap.org/survey/advocacy!
The survey first asks what you actually understand by the term
'advocacy': Are we all speaking the same language here?
It also seeks information on the types of general goals (if
any?), which the organisation you represent has set for its
advocacy activities, and how these are achieved in practice: Do
you have clear advocacy targets, or do you just 'muddle along'?
How do media relations and government interaction fit into your
overall advocacy goals? How is advocacy organised in your
organisation?
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, the survey asks you to
assess how effective you think your organisation is at advocacy,
in practice.
All replies we receive for the survey will be treated in full
confidentiality. No names of individuals or organisations will
be used in our online report without permission.
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II. CALL FOR PAPERS: Advocacy in action!
eumap.org also invites articles and opinion pieces on the
general theme of CSOs and advocacy. We are particularly
interested to hear from NGOs working in Europe, from journalists
and government officials dealing with them.
Selected short papers will be published on eumap.org. An archive
of past featured articles is available at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/features.
Among the themes we would be looking for papers to address are
the following:
--> 1. WHAT MAKES ADVOCACY EFFECTIVE? We are interested to
receive papers detailing examples of good practice - or of
lessons learned! - among CSOs carrying out advocacy activities.
Can you present examples of an effective local, national or
international advocacy strategy, with clear - and achieved -
goals? Have you used any novel or original approach to promote
your organisation's issue areas?
--> 2. CSO'S AND MEDIA RELATIONS: Media relations form an
important component of most advocacy activities. Yet a recent
report* by the Voluntary Action Media Unit, looking at the
relationship between UK charities and the media, details an
often fraught relationship, based on misunderstanding and lost
opportunities. Interestingly, the report finds that few
charities have a media strategy, and among the report's findings
is evidence of a certain hostility between UK charities and the
media.
Is this a common situation among NGOs in Europe, and
internationally? What experience has the CSO that you work for
had, when dealing with the media? Does your message get ''lost
in translation'' or have you developed effective media contacts?
Or are you a journalist with experience working with NGOs with,
perhaps, unrealistic expectations? We are interested in hearing
about your experiences and also your tips for a more effective
media-NGO relationship.
--> 3. CSO'S AND GOVERNMENT/STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS: Establishing
effective relationships with government representatives,
international organisations and donors - and developing NGO
coalitions and stakeholders dialogue - is another important
element of most successful advocacy campaigns.
What kind of relations has your CSO established with local,
regional and/or central government: Do you find that
representatives of these bodies are prepared to listen to, or
consult, your organisation? How have things evolved in this
respect in recent years? Do you have any examples of good
practice, or lessons learned, which you would like to share with
other organisations? We are also very interested to hear from
officials who deal with CSOs: What experiences (good or bad) can
you share, and what would be your tips to CSOs, to help them
make their advocacy more effective?
* see
http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/113207813385.htm
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Selected papers will be featured on eumap.org. Papers in English
should be between 1,500-2,000 words. Accepted authors will
receive an honorarium of EUR 200.
Papers should be submitted by 5 April 2006. Please send papers
to: [log in to unmask] Contact person: Joost van Beek.
Read the eumap.org editorial policy at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/editpolicy.
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2. RECENT EUMAP.ORG NEWS:
TROUBLED COMMUNITIES: COMBUSTIVE VULNERABILITY IN PARIS,
BIRMINGHAM AND BEYOND: New articles and archive of selected
reports and analysis available
An eumap.org Online Journal theme page at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/features/2006/combustive_vulnerability/
provides two new feature articles:
- The EU's Troubled Attitude to its Troubled Communities, Alphia
Abdikeeva
- It Has Rained in Paris but It Has Not Drizzled in Brussels,
Willy Fautré;
And brings together salient material from eumap.org:
- relevant reports that EUMAP has published on related subjects;
- selected articles on the topic from past Online Journal
issues;
- selected related documents from the eumap.org Library;
- archives of media news articles on:
* the French riots and their aftermath;
* the uproar over the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed;
* the Birmingham riot and the situation of respective minorities
in the UK;
* Muslims, minorities and the dilemmas of deprived
neighbourhoods elsewhere in Europe.
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"TV ACROSS EUROPE" COUNTRY REPORTS: national launches in 14
capitals
"Television across Europe: regulation, policy and independence"
is a new series of EUMAP monitoring reports, prepared in
collaboration with OSI's Network Media Program, covering 20
European countries.
The English language versions of the reports - a complete
three-volume series and a summary report - were first launched
on 11 October 2005 in Brussels. All country chapters, as well as
the international overview, are available online in English and
can also be ordered in hard copy.
Now, complete translations that comprise both the respective
country chapter and the European overview report are available
as well, for fifteen countries. Five more are forthcoming.
To download or order reports, please visit
http://www.eumap.org/topics/media/television_europe. For
background information see http://www.eumap.org/topics/media.
Find your country at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/announcements/media_bycountry/.
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NEW IN THE ONLINE JOURNAL! SUBMITTED ARTICLES
- Reforms and Judicial Cooperation in the European Policy of
Promotion of the "Rule of Law": A Comparative Analysis of New
Members, Daniela Piana
- Good and Reliable Watchdogs of Democracy? Ethics and
Journalism: Case Studies from Poland, Hungary and the Czech
Republic, Angelika W. Wyka
See http://www.eumap.org/journal/submitted .
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ABOUT EUMAP
eumap.org is an online centre for comprehensive resources, news,
and analyses, committed to delivering information on, and
generating debate about, human rights and the rule of law in
Europe.
eumap.org is the website of the Open Society Institute's EU
Monitoring and Advocacy Program.
To find out more about the Program view:
http://www.eumap.org/about
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Joost van Beek
home e-mail address
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EUMAP
www.eumap.org
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