By Hidaya Muhiden
In Ethiopia, policymaking involves a designated institution responsible for formulating and drafting policies, with expert groups or consultancy firms providing assistance. Policies are disseminated to stakeholders for feedback and revisions and submitted for approval by the Council of Ministers. Policy advocacy involves facilitating discussions between influential figures, including opinion leaders and decision-makers, to take ownership of proposed ideas, evidence, and proposals and subsequently act upon them. This process may involve preparing decision-makers and opinion leaders for the next policy window or pushing them to create a new one. When advocates perform their duties effectively, decision-makers adopt the proposed ideas and alter the current policy approach (ICPA 2014). Effective policy advocacy practices have been observed in Ethiopia, where non-governmental organisations and United Nations agencies have played a crucial role in advocating for policies to safeguard women’s and children’s rights, along with the environment. This blog explains how successful policy advocacy requires a comprehensive strategy, including community programs to raise awareness, gender-sensitive training, and confidence-building measures at the national, regional, local community, and household levels.
The policy-making process in Ethiopia
The policy arrangement approach (PAA) is a useful analytical tool for examining policy processes in diverse political contexts, ranging from pluralist democracies to semi-authoritarian regimes. In Ethiopia, the policy-making process is overseen by a designated institution responsible for formulating and drafting policies. Expert groups or consultancy firms may provide assistance during this process, and the resulting policy document is disseminated to a diverse range of stakeholders, including policy beneficiaries, federal and regional ministries, community representatives, academic institutions, and donors. Feedback from these stakeholders is considered, leading to revisions that are subsequently submitted for approval by the Council of Ministers. After approval, the revised policy is presented to a parliamentary committee for debate, amendment, and publication. The implementation of policies must be closely monitored to gauge their effectiveness and relevance, which may involve regular discussions, annual meetings, reports to parliament, and field evaluations. Identifying policy gaps and requesting amendments can enhance their implementation and ensure their currency.
Effective Advocacy
Effective advocacy is defined by a comprehensive understanding of the individual’s desires and needs, which fosters trust in the relationship between the advocate and the individual. Moreover, customising and framing messages to the appropriate audience is crucial for successful advocacy. Effective messaging can increase awareness, change public perception, and inspire action. It is essential that these messages are tailored to the audience’s motivations. A long-term strategy and sustained financial commitment are required for systemic policy change. Policy advocacy involves actively supporting or opposing a particular policy or class of policies through lobbying, litigation, public education, or building relationships with stakeholders. Policies are rules or principles that guide decision-making and actions and are created by the government or other organisations. Advocacy, on the other hand, refers to promoting a specific cause or idea to influence policy or decision-making.
Examples of effective policy advocacy in Ethiopia
Effective policy advocacy practices have been observed in Ethiopia. As per a study conducted by Ayana et al. (2018), environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) have played a crucial role in shaping forest policy since the mid-1990s. These organisations have assumed three roles: field actors and action coordinators, disseminating new knowledge and values related to forestry and the environment, and collaborating with the Ethiopian state in governance. Due to their efforts, participatory forest management has been formally institutionalised in Ethiopia’s forest policy and law.
Other NGOs have employed indirect strategies such as demonstrating innovative policy approaches, documenting field evidence, forming networks, forging alliances, and investing resources to achieve their goals. Despite many setbacks, their efforts have borne fruit. In the past decade, there has been a considerable legislative reform effort to enhance the protection of women’s rights. Besides the FDRE Constitution of 1995, which contains several provisions relevant to women’s rights, numerous laws have been enacted, and existing ones have been revised in a highly gender-sensitive manner (UNFPA, n.d). Additionally, significant progress has been made in implementing the National HIV/AIDS Policy in Ethiopia to safeguard the rights of women and girls regarding HIV/AIDS. Various sectoral policy documents have also been introduced to address gender issues in diverse ways.
Save the Children has played a crucial role in the development and execution of Ethiopia’s National Child Policy, along with UNICEF. The organisation has collaborated with the government to designate the policy as a top national priority and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs to bolster the national child rights framework. Save the Children has also inked a three-year project agreement with the Ministry, leading to the implementation of essential General Measures of Implementation to safeguard all children. The organisation works to improve the capacity of stakeholders to fulfil their responsibilities towards children by advocating for sound policy and legal changes. Save the Children’s robust collaboration with the Ministry has united relevant government bodies, including federal ministries, UNICEF, and other partners and NGOs, to focus on child well-being and protection issues in Ethiopia (Save the Children, 2018).
Other examples include the Ethiopia Social Accountability Program (ESAP), which focuses on grassroots advocacy and improving citizen capacity to hold the government accountable. ESAP is a transformative initiative that positively impacts local governance, citizen empowerment, participation, and service delivery. By promoting accountability, ESAP is fostering a cycle of positive change. According to survey results from ESAP2 woredas, immediate service delivery is considered superior to non-ESAP2 woredas (Campbell et al., 2020). The structure of ESAP2 promotes greater collaboration and communication between citizens and public officials, resulting in improvements to service delivery.
These examples show that policy advocacy can be successful in Ethiopia if it adopts a comprehensive strategy that encompasses a variety of elements. This entails developing targeted community programs to raise awareness, providing gender-sensitive training to empower women, and confidence-building measures such as establishing welcoming environments, creating specialised investigation and prosecution units, and ensuring privacy, dignity, and autonomy for all individuals involved. It is crucial to implement these efforts at the national, regional, local community, and household levels to bring about significant changes in societal attitudes towards women’s roles.
Conclusion
The examples in this blog highlight the vital role non-governmental organisations have played in shaping Ethiopia’s policies through effective policy advocacy. The lesson is that effective policy advocacy in Ethiopia requires a multifaceted approach that includes building community awareness, providing gender-sensitive training, and implementing confidence-building measures. Effective policies should provide clear and actionable guidance, incorporating clarity, relevance, consistency, evidence-based decision-making, inclusivity, and measurable goals.
Reference
- Ayana, A. N., Arts, B., & Wiersum, K. F. (2018). How environmental NGOs have influenced decision making in a ‘semi-authoritarian state: The case of forest policy in Ethiopia. World Development, 109, 313-322.
- Campbell, L. et al. (2020) “Building the Foundation for Accountability in Ethiopia”. World Bank Group. Available at: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/432251611739812449/building-the-foundation-for-accountability-in-ethiopia (Accessed: 07 August 2023)
- ICPA (2014). Defining policy advocacy. International Centre for Policy Advocacy. Retrieved from: https://advocacyguide.icpolicyadvocacy.org/21-defining-policy-advocacy
- Mattaini, M.A., Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., Ardila Sánchez, J.G., Richling, S.M. and Ethridge, A.N., (2020). Public policy advocacy in cultural-behaviour science. Behaviour science perspectives on culture and community, pp.385-412.
- NICE (2022). Advocacy services for adults with health and social care needs: Evidence review National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Nov. (NICE Guideline, No. 227.) London. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK588855/
- Save the Children (2018) ” Ethiopia Endorses First National Child Policy”. Available at: https://ethiopia.savethechildren.net/news/ethiopia-endorses-first-national-child-policy
- UNFPA (n.d) The Policy and Legal Framework Protecting the Rights of Women and Girls in Ethiopia & Reducing their Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Available at: http://www.cyto.purdue.edu/cdroms/gh/HTML/program/media/UNFPAtool.pdf (Accessed: 07 August 2023).
Acknowledgement
This blog is a series to reflect on our learnings from a project under the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) – East Africa Initiative. GrOW is jointly funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. In collaboration with our partners – WISE for capacity strengthening of key policy actors and Addis PowerHouse for running advocacy efforts – we will enhance women’s economic empowerment (WEE), reduce, recognise and redistribute unpaid care in Ethiopia and strengthen the in-country coalition of key WEE champions.