MINELRES: Take part in the EUMAP advocacy survey and call for papers!

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Original sender: Joost van Beek <jbeek@osi.hu>


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 ! <--

Thank you for forwarding this newsletter! 

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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.

_____________________________________ 

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.

_____________________________________ 

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

_____________________________________ 

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:
submissions@eumap.org. Contact person: Joost van Beek.

Read the eumap.org editorial policy at
http://www.eumap.org/journal/editpolicy.

************************************

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
Fautr�;

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.

_____________________________________

"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/.

_____________________________________

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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