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ABOUT IFEX CAMPAIGNS AND ADVOCACY PROGRAMME

When a journalist or activist is persecuted, a law that contravenes free speech is being debated, or systemic threats to free expression are silencing public debate, IFEX members raise the call to action. IFEX members around the world take up campaigning and advocacy efforts to defend and promote rights to freedom of expression. They engage in creative public education campaigns, media strategies, lobbying, dialogue, letter-writing, along with other techniques based on sound research and effective advocacy methods. The IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy Programme assists members in these efforts through the following areas:

Advice, planning and collaboration:

The IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy Programme assists IFEX members in developing effective strategies and connects members across the network in joint efforts to increase the impact of their campaigning efforts. The programme facilitates individual and collaborative member-driven campaigning initiatives – both urgent and longer-term - through technical and financial support. By coordinating the campaigning information that circulates on the network with the various IFEX teams - Alerts, Campaigns, Outreach, and Communiqué - the Campaigns and Advocacy Programme ensures rapid response to urgent freedom of expression issues and is there for members to call upon when they set out to organise a free expression campaign.

Increased international visibility for member campaigns:

By working together, IFEX members can make a national campaign take on regional or international scope, and in turn generate more awareness and pressure for change. Members leverage and publicise their campaigning and advocacy efforts through IFEX – by joining with fellow members in solidarity and showcasing the international support behind their campaign. The IFEX Clearing House also assists in raising international visibility by releasing members’ news, press releases, calls for action and reports about campaigning and advocacy initiatives via IFEX’s weekly Communiqué, the Action Alert Network, the Digest, and the website. The Programme offers advice and guidance on how best to prepare information in order to reach IFEX’s thousands of subscribers.

Training and capacity-building:

When IFEX members are seeking training support or to develop their organisation’s capacity in campaigning, they get in touch with the Campaigns and Advocacy Programme. There is an extensive and ever-growing set of tools, resources and training materials about campaigning and advocacy techniques available on the IFEX website, including online guides and case studies. The programme also assists members in meeting their training needs by developing and facilitating workshops and connecting members with experts in the field, other IFEX members, and staff to share their expertise.

Sharing best practices:

The IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy Programme showcases the important work of the network by helping members share best practices for free expression campaigning across the network and with the broader international community. We profile IFEX member campaigning advocacy efforts and successes on the IFEX website, circulate stories to IFEX subscribers and feature these stories in the IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy Tools and Resources guide, due for online release in January 2010.
For further information on the Campaigns and Advocacy programme, please contact: campaigns AT ifex DOT org.