Questioning communication strategies

Brussels, 6 June. During the peer to peer session on communication strategies and tools, three speakers shared their experiences: Anna from Kehys, Elisa from the ACP local government platform, and David from Sangonet. After the presentations, participants rotated in a world cafe setting to discuss issues more in depth.

We asked two participants to share what they took away from the session:

In the first video Camille Donnat from Dochas in Ireland explains that she got some answers to her main questions: 'How to deal with multiple stakeholders?' 'How to focus your work for better impact?' and 'How to avoid an overflow of information to members?'

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Or to hear her explain in French:

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Mauro Morabito from the Nonviolent Peaceforce Europe says he became particularly interested in the incremental basis of how an organisation builds up its information strategies, for instance an organisation which started in 2001, recruited an information officer in 2006. He would like to have a look at those steps.

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Communication strategies and tools for development organisations and networks

The 4th peer-2-peer session on 6 June looked different strategies, approaches and tools by which development results and activities are communicated. Speakers includes Anna Pollari (KEHYS), David Barnard (SangoNet), and Elisa Rafamatanantsoa (ACP Local Government Forum). Read all the stories ...

SANGONeT shifts from information provider to facilitating peer sharing

Brussels, 6 June. Sangonet is a South African NGO, established in 1987, which evolved into an Internet Service Provider in 1990s with the aim of assisting NGOs with their ICT and information needs.

It made a strategic decision in 2001 to move out of ICT services role into ICT facilitation role, focussing on 3 main programme areas:

• Providing information to civil society in South Africa


• Brokering ICT services


• Facilitating discussions around ICT issues

Sangonet's ultimate objective is to link NGOs through ICTs.

The Sangonet NGO portal was created at 2005, a culmination of past work and the desire to consolidate all its information activities into a single portal. Yet another reason was the institutional and financial challenges facing the NGO sector and the lack of focus on the NGO sector in the mainstream media. Only negative stories tend to receive media attention. The NGO sector in South Africa is therefore in a fortunate position to have a dedicated one-stop information resource and platform in support of its activities. The portal includes the PRODDER NGO Directory, weekly NGO Pulse e-newsletter, SN Announce e-mail advertising service, NGO profiles, toolkits and other information relevant to the work of the sector.

Sangonet's work also includes a large offline component, organizing conferences and forums, giving NGOs the opportunity to discuss and debate ICT issues.

The big future challenge for Sangonet is:

How do you make the shift from being the provider of content and information to the NGO sector to a situation whereby the content and experiences are a direct contribution of the recipients?

The Sangonet NGO portal will be relaunched in October 2007 and will include a number of interactive features aimed at increasing online dialogue, community-building and information-sharing in the NGO sector.

The challenge will be to introduce this new dimension to Sangonet's work in line with the capacity and ability of NGOs to benefit from, and engage with, this new approach.

Story by David Barnard

Communication strategies of the ACP Local Government Platform

Brussels, 6 June. The platform is an umbrella of mayors and representatives of local government across ACP countries. Its mission is to strengthen the role of local government in ACP-EU cooperation processes. It has three main roles:

• Representation, advocacy


• Information and networking


• Technical support: helpdesk

Information activities range from quarterly newsletter, via emails and website, to seminars and visits to local government actors and national associations or EC delegations.

The content focusses mainly on the Cotonou agreement the 10th EDF process. The Eurostep EC aid programming website is an important source of information per country (indicative focal/non focal sectors, indicative country strategy paper, useful contacts, etc). Sources of information are the members' newsletters, various ECDPM newsalerts, news/meeting/direct contact with EuropeAid and DG-Dev, CTA Brussels office newsletter, Eurostep, Euforic and Bulletin Cotonou.

The impact so far can be illustrated by the Local Government Association of Zambia. In early 2006, at the beginning of the 10th EDF programming, the Platform advised ACP local governments to get in contact with National Authorising Officer (NAO) and the EC Delegation. the LGAZ reported to the Platform that it got a negative response from NAO for participation in the process, despite the fact that the 10th EDF programming advised local governments to get into contact with NAO. After Platform negotiation with ACP-EU institutions headquarters, they are now fully involved in the process. Following the Zambian case, some ACP local governments contacted the Platform in order to get similar assistance.

Challenges are that very few local governments are involved in the ACP-EU cooperation process. Local governments are elected people and the rate of rotation sometimes may be high (every 2/3 years). this needs to establish new contact and network. But as the Platform works mainly with national associations of local government, which are permanent structure (the technical staff does not change with the change of the president), the network is maintained.

Opportunities should be that civil society organisations and local governments should lobby together in order to be involved in the dialogue between NAO and Delegation on the 10th EDF process.

By Elisa Rafamatanantsoa - ACPLGP Coordinator (platform at acplgp dot net)

The Finnish EU NGDO platform: how to generate media interest?

To generate media interest about a development issue, it is essential to link up with "friendly" journalists, who will most likely write when you have something going on.

In Finland there is a special mailing list and a web page for journalists who are interested in development issues. It was set up by development people and journalists together. The list distributes articles and events for the subscribers and reaches a large group of actors.

Our Finnish NGDO Platform (Kehys) experiences include:

• Use simple messages, as journalists are not necessarily experts on these issues, don't use jargon
  
• Follow what is in the media and use it to find your angle
• Prepare different messages for different audiences
  
• Timing, don't put it out in July when everything is slow
• Probably the best news for media is "numbers" or even better a "change in numbers". Eg. the Aidwatch report attracted a lot media attention, but long and complex processes such as the joint EU-Africa strategy are a more difficult task.

For the the 2006 Finnish EU Presidency project, we made extensive use of the media. A young illustrator made fresh images for the NGO campaign on themes like HIV/AIDS, security and migration and development. The Finnish MFA has also used cartoons for a MDG campaign. We used new types of images (cartoons) in campaigns instead of traditional photos.

Story by Anna Pollari, Kehys

“1000 Families” or building unity through diversity

Brussels, 5 June. The second day of the Euforic/CONCORD event ended with the opening of the photo exhibit by the German photographer Uwe Ommer, showing families from all over the world.

It took four years and millions of miles to the artist who, in the end of the 90s of the previous century has crossed the 5 continents in order to show that in fact the differences probably more than the similarities lead to unity.

The wonderful result of this unusually successful effort were just the completing part of a project, initiated and carried out by network of European NGOs in Ireland, Italy, Malta, Finland and Belgium. “We first showed the exhibition in 2003 and since then it successfully crosses Europe”, stated Francois Milis, General Secretary of Echos Communication ASBL. We saw a very small part of the pictures of different families, but they were appreciated by the participants.

Source: Euforic-Brussels blog, by Dimitar Sotirov

Listening a key element when communicating Europe's development efforts

Euforic/Concord meeting: Opening session - 5 June 2006
Originally uploaded by euforic

Brussels, 5 June. I am very pleased to welcome you at this first communication network meeting meeting on behalf of Concord, Euforic and ICCO.

Speaking these words of welcome as board member of the both CONCOIRD and Euforic, one cooperative and one confederation, and as staff member of ICCO I am saving you also two additional speeches. I shall limit my words as for me communication starts with listening not talking.

Ten years ago the former EU NGDO Liaision Committee was one of the founding members of Euforic together with other networks such Eurostep, Aprodev and institutions like ODI and ECDPM.

Euforic is a multi stakeholder network, long time before the European Commission thought about its definition of non state actors.

We as Euforic are very glad that Concord renewed it's membership of Euforic and we are very happy with positive cooperation with Concord which results among other in these meetings today and tomorrow

The wide NGO involvement in this meeting is a tribute to the mobilising efforts of Concord.

Communication starts with listening, listening requires an open mind:

Important for us is the multi-stakeholder elements, to avoid 'ghettos' - whether official or NGO, not we against them.

It important precisely to use information exchange and knowledge sharing and communication as tools to build dialogues and understanding based on mutual trust and respect, as well as more coherent actions - in policy arenas or on the ground.

From the experience of Concord, representing more than 1600 NGO's in Europe united in more than 35 networks, platforms and associations we know how important and also how difficult this is.

We as Concord are very pleased to work with Euforic in the field of knowledge sharing and communication. The cooperation with Euforic gives us Concord access to tools and know-how. Euforic as a specialised network brings an added value to us and an open window to a wealth of information on the role of Europe in the world, seen from various angles.

It also fits in the Concord approach, don't do what others can do for you, don't duplicate.

I would also like to say a word of thank to my employer ICCO, not only because ICCO allows me to spend so much time in Brussels and Maastricht, but for the continuing support to and collaboration with Euforic, also in difficult times, and for its support for this event.

For many years, ICCO has been involved in building networks and knowledge management systems with our Southern partners. This meeting is a good opportunity to build up further learning networks among different stakeholders in development and to share our experiences.

Sharing experiences is what we are going to do today and tomorrow.

We are looking forward these days to stimulating conversations to better:

CONNECT Europe's development efforts [to those of its partners, to one other],
COMMUNICATE its priorities and results, and BUILD effective COOPERATION.

Ad Ooms,
Concord, Euforic and ICCO