12 th Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) November Advocacy and Communication Cluster (ACC) Annual Progress Report

Transcription

1 12 th Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) November 2011 Advocacy and Communication Cluster (ACC) Annual Progress Report Prepared by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UN-OSAA) and the Directorate of Information and Communication of the African Union Commission (DIC-AUC) Conveners and Co-Chairs of the Cluster 1

2 I. The Cluster system of the RCM 1.1 Meetings held, dates, objectives, outcomes and follow-up actions The Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) meeting held in November 2010 underlined the need for mainstreaming the advocacy and communication strategy in the clusters system of the RCM. The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) and the Directorate of Information and Communication of the African Union Commission (DIC-AUC), the two cochairs of the Advocacy and Communication Cluster (ACC), were requested to undertake the necessary actions in order to address the situation. In two separate occasions in 2011 (February and May), the AU/NPCA (African Union New Partnership for Africa s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency) Secretariat at UN- ECA sent an official request to the conveners of each cluster and sub-cluster, asking them to appoint a focal point for Communication. Since only one third responded, the cluster did not reach the objective of one focal point for communication in each cluster and sub cluster. Since the RCM is now resolutely engaged in an impact based approach, the participation of every cluster remains, more than ever, critical if the cluster wants to achieve tangible results in promoting the work of the AU and AU/NPCA on the continent. Pursuing that objective, UN-OSAA, UN-ECA, the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the UNDP Country Office in Lesotho co-sponsored the Second Africa Regional Media Dialogue (see report attached) which took place in Maseru, Lesotho from 7 to 9 June 2011 and followed by a cluster meeting on the 10 th June (see report attached). The dialogue was attended by about 20 senior journalists from the five sub-regions of Africa, covering the various media, namely TV, radio, print, on-line magazines and news agencies. In addition to representatives of the African Media, the dialogue included the participation of six members of the African Union s AU/NPCA Planning and Coordinating Agency (AU/NPCA), a representative of the African Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN-DPI), the Director and her Deputy of the DIC of AUC, five other cluster members, local journalist and officials, one REC Representative from ECCAS (for the first time) and, last but not least, with the strong logistical support of UNDP country Office. The programme included two days of open-ended debate and a field visit to an e-school project and two conservation agriculture projects in the vicinity of Maseru. The AU/NPCA delegation was headed by Prof. Richard Mkandawire, Head of the Partnerships, Resource Mobilization and Communication Directorate (AU/PRMCD), who emphasised during the workshop the need for the UN system to support AU/NPCA through concrete interventions and appealed to communication focal points of the UN system to assist in changing negative perceptions about Africa and help brand AU/NPCA as a new way of thinking and doing business in Africa. Overall, the participants noted that in order to be effectively portrayed as a brand name, AU/NPCA needed to generate concrete success stories. In order to achieve that, one has to find the hidden gems, the good stories yet to be disclosed. Therefore, participants reiterated the 2

3 need to establish clear strategies for sharing information among UN agencies, the African Union Commission and, more specifically, with the NPCA. The Meeting adopted the Maseru Declaration (see attachment) and a set of recommendations: 1. Harmonise and reinforce training and other capacity building programmes for African journalists on major AU/NPCA Agency activities. 2. Publish major information and publicity materials, to the extent possible, in the AU working languages in order to reach out to broader section of the target audience in Africa. 3. Target youth as one of the key audiences for information dissemination. 4. Take advantage of information technologies by setting up a small advisory team on training AU/NPCA communication personnel in the use of social media tools. 5. Develop strategies or programmes that encourage interaction with selected public groups and empower them to convert important messages into action. 6. Team up with other organisations and explore further training opportunities in journalism and social media. 7. Set up a network of stringers in Africa on thematic issues to contribute relevant stories to various publications on AU/NPCA initiatives and programmes. 8. Identify a core group of senior editors who would serve as a mechanism for cooperation between AU/NPCA and the media in projecting a better picture of the continent. 9. Invite international news organisations to the next media dialogue for robust discussions on the reportage of African issues and affairs. 10. Expand, improve and be proactive in the provision of credible information to the media on AU/NPCA initiatives and programmes. The focus should be on sustainable projects with consistent messages on what the AU and its AU/NPCA programme are doing to improve local communities. 11. Designate high-level champions who can promote and speak authoritatively about AU/NPCA programmes. 12. Plan for events to mark important AU/NPCA milestones. 3

4 13. Introduce or expand the awarding of prizes in different categories or sectors to encourage reportage of AU/NPCA initiatives and programmes among the African media. This could also serve as an incentive to encourage coverage of development issues. 14. Mobilise African media in the Diaspora to contribute to the portrayal of a positive image of continent both inside and outside of the continent and to engage foreign media as allies. 15. Develop measurable outcomes with targets and timelines to report progress on opening up media space for public discussions in print or electronic media. Devise simpler ways of evaluating the impact of AU/NPCA that the public could understand. 16. Expand the existing AU database of journalists to facilitate contact with journalists across the continent and abroad. 17. Improve the packaging of AU/NPCA stories by using a less technical approach that enables the stories to be easily understood by the mainstream public. Find a bridge between what the experts are working on and what would interest the media. 18. Encourage South-South media dialogue for sharing experiences and lessons learned. 19. Support the development and sustenance of community media in rural areas using local languages and introduce new technologies at the local level. 20. Finalise and distribute the writers /journalists manual African issues. 1.2 Preparation and adoption of Three-Year Business Plans: The business plan for the year has been circulated to all stakeholders in the cluster and has been approved as a draft by September 7, It will be submitted again for formal endorsement and approval at the next cluster meeting due to be held on 18 November in Addis Ababa. As recommended in the 10 th and 11 th RCM meeting, this plan is closely aligned with the AUC Strategic Plan ( ), the NPCA Business Plan ( ), the priorities set up by the Directorate of Information and Communication of the AUC, The Maseru Declarations and the set of Recommendations (see above). 1.3 Joint activities implemented in the context of the cluster system (including overlapping programmes merged and implemented jointly). The ACC is convened by OSAA and effectively and formally co-chaired by the AUC since January Its current membership includes the following organizations (in alphabetical order): AUC, AU-NPCA, ILO, IOM, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNDPI, UNECA, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNWOMEN, UN-OSAA (convener). UNICEF and the World Bank are formal members but without active participation. This situation should be corrected very soon. 4

5 The Advocacy and Communications cluster plays a central role in the mission of the United nations to support Africa s own efforts in the pursuit of long-lasting peace and sustainable development through an engagement which is proactive and aligned with the vision and the expectations of Africa s governments, peoples and institutions. Cluster activities are therefore guided by the AU Strategic Plan ( ), the AU/NPCA Plan of Action ( ) and the United Nations Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the African Union to encourage a coordinated and effective response by the United Nations system at the policy and operational levels. The cluster acts as a focal point for communication with the AU/NPCA and other critical partners, mainly, the African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), civil society organizations and the media. By coordinating the information and communication flow within the RCM and facilitating the exchange of advocacy materials and information among partners, cluster members should effectively contribute to disseminating successful stories and increasingly engaging the interest of non-traditional partners. In an effort to realise these goals, the cluster objectives are as follows: (i) To promote joint planning, programming, monitoring and evaluation of support of the AUC, NPCA and RECs (ii) To ensure intra- and inter-cluster communication, information sharing, advocacy and outreach work (iii)to promote joint resource mobilisation and cost-sharing in support of regional communication and advocacy initiatives (iv) To identify communication and advocacy deficits, challenges and constraints and propose possible policy and institutional responses (v) To compile lessons learned, best practices and experiences for improvement of Advocacy and for communicating on AU/NPCA (vi) Within the framework of the reviewed Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme, provide technical and other types of assistance to the Department of Communications of the AUC, AU-NPCA and the RECs. Main activities (October 2010 to October 2011) - In June 2011, in partnership with UN-ECA, NPCA, AU-DIC and UNDP in Lesotho, the cluster held a Regional Senior Media Dialogue on AU/NPCA in June 2011 in Maseru, Lesotho. As a result of the dialogue, The Maseru Declaration and a set of recommendations were adopted by all participants, describing the role and responsibilities of the media as Africa s development partners. - In October 2011, in partnership with UN-ECA, UN-DPI, AUC and UN-OSAA, the cluster organised the AU/NPCA@10 week at UN Headquarters, the advocacy activities around the 10 th Year Anniversary of AU/NPCA. 5

6 - Among other activities, the cluster facilitated the organization of two separate briefings to African Ambassadors and to UN Member States by the CEO of AU-NPCA, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki. The topic was the progress made by the AU/NPCA Program and future perspectives. Both meetings were well attended. On 11 th October, Mr. Mayaki could, for the first time in the history of AU/NPCA, address the General Assembly debate on Africa on behalf of the African Union. - The press conference (centered on AU/NPCA@10) organised at the UN headquarters on 7 th October generated great interest from the media and was moderated for the first time by the co-chair of the cluster, Ms Habiba Mejri-Cheikh. - With the cooperation of UN agencies and UN-DPI based in New York, the cluster organised an introductory program in the communication field for Ms Habiba Mejri- Cheikh with more than a dozen senior officials from the UN, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN WOMEN. These meetings have opened a new realm of possibilities, enabling concrete cooperation between the UN family and the African Union. - On 12 October 2010, OSAA facilitated a courtesy call to the United Nations Secretary- General by the CEO of AU-NPCA. During the meeting, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to Africa s peace and development and AU/NPCA. 1.4 Alignment of cluster plans and activities with the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU, the strategic plans of the AU Commission and the AU/NPCA, relevant Decisions of the AU and RECs and outcomes of AU Sectoral Ministerial Bodies Every member of the cluster has been involved in the development and finalisation of the attached Business Plan. Consultations with REC representatives during the RCM in November 2009 concluded that effort must be made with respect to aligning the cluster with the various RECs and that the RECs should be invited to become members of the cluster. This is now a reality since For the second year in the row, UN-OSAA, together with the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the UN organised a briefing on the work of the respective REC s presented by REC s representatives to the Member States on 6 th October 2011 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Considering the considerable interest vested in that briefing, both REC s and participants have expressed their wish that this event should be institutionalised, to ensure the participation of all RECs at the highest level possible. 1.5 Addressing cross-cutting issues: gender, human rights, health, culture, youth and employment, regional integration and climate change-related issues in the plans and activities of clusters 6

7 The cluster s objective is to mainstream communications and advocacy within the RCM and cluster system and to disseminate information on the activities of every cluster. By doing so the ACC is indirectly covering each and every cross-cutting issue. The ACC intends to organise a Regional Dialogue with media every year, but with a thematic subject which links one or more specific cluster themes. This would serve two purposes: It will be a true cross-cutting exercise involving several clusters and secondly, it would provide the substantive stories. Each cluster relevant to the chosen themes would be responsible for providing the relevant experts. Next year s themes could be environment (RIO+20) and Youth. 2. Coordination /collaboration 2.1 Inter-cluster communication and collaboration (joint meetings, joint activities, information shared, etc) The two main events highlighted in this report; namely the Africa Regional Media Dialogue, the NEPAD@10, were jointly organised by UN-OSAA, UN-DPI, UN-ECA, UNDP, the AUC, the AU-NPCA. By working hard on ensuring the appointment of Communication Focal Points in each cluster, the ACC requests strongly that all UN agencies communicate with each other about their activities, therefore enhancing inter-cluster cooperation and collaboration towards African Union priorities. 2.2 Participation of the AU Commission, the AU/NPCA, the RECs and the AfDB in cluster activities Following the RCM recommendations, the AU Commission has been actively co-chairing the ACC since January As the focal point for the global advocacy for AU/NPCA, OSAA works very closely with the NPCA. Further efforts to involve the AfDB in cluster activities will be made in the coming years. The RECs are recognised as an indispensable part of the ACC and as such they are increasingly involved in its activities and planning processes. 3. Resources and Capacity Building Support (human, technical, financial and material) to: 3.1 The AU Commission During the reporting period, the ACC has not provided any capacity building support to the AU commission but, following the high level meetings held in New York between the DIC of the AU and different counterparts in the UN family, the cluster has identified potential partnerships 7

8 in a very near future. UN-OSAA has worked closely with the AUC in the preparation of the October 2011 briefing by the REC s to Member States. Being located in New York, OSAA enjoys a strong working relationship with the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the UN. 3.2 The AU/NPCA During the reporting period, the UN-OSAA and UN-ECA have facilitated the participation of the AU/NPCA Agency in the Regional Media Dialogue organised in Lesotho in June 2011 as well as the events celebrating AU/NPCA@10, the 10 th Year Anniversary of AU/NPCA. 3.3 The RECs No specific capacity building support stricto sensu has been provided to the RECs. UN-ECA and UN-OSAA have repeatedly highlighted the crucial role of RECs in the implementation of the AU/NPCA agenda and advocated for their active participation in the cluster and the RCM. For the second year in a row, UN-OSAA has organised a briefing by three of the RECs to Member States in New York (EAC, IGAD and SADC). Enhancing cooperation with the RECs has been identified by the cluster as one of its priorities. 4. Monitoring and Evaluation 4.1 Monitoring and evaluation should be considered as part of the Cluster business plan. In this regard, business plans should include clear indicators which describe how expected accomplishments will be measured. Indicators can be quantitative measures or qualitative observation and should assist in measuring the extent to which objectives and/or results have been achieved. Good indicators should be set in such a way that they are measurable, precise (not ambiguous), consistent (can be measured over time) and sensitive (changing proportionately in response to actual changes). The ACC is currently developing its Work Plan for 2011/2012 which will include discussions on a results-based Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. 4.2 Availability of monitoring data and information Because of its very nature, it is always a challenge to provide measurable objectives and process indicators in the case of communication activities. 8

9 4.3 Reporting to the RCM Secretariat UN-OSAA and UN-DPI have instituted regular video or phone conferences with the RCM Secretariat, AU/NPCA and AUC around specific topics like the Events in New York, the organisation of the Africa Regional Media Dialogue. 5. Communication/Outreach/Advocacy 5.1 Information provided by the AU Commission, the AU/NPCA and RECs to Clusters (particularly the advocacy and communication cluster) and the RCM Secretariat to facilitate communication and advocacy activities. The cooperation with the AU Commission has improved in a tangible way since the Directorate of Information and Communication has decided to co-chair the cluster and set up the priority areas for the cluster. That driving seat position has changed the whole dynamic of the cluster. The level of cooperation with the NPCA has continued to grow. Despite progress, the cooperation with the REC s is improving steadily but has not reached the level expected. 5.2 Advocacy and communication activities undertaken in support of the AU and its AU/NPCA Programme, as well as RECs See above for details: 1. Africa Regional media Dialogue in Lesotho (June 2011) 2. NEPAD@10 events in New York (UN Headquarters) 3. Briefing by REC s to Member States in New York (UN Headquarters) 4. Meetings for the DIC of the AUC with UN counterparts. II. Achievements, results and impacts The main achievement of the year has been to secure the active participation of the AUC as cochair of the Advocacy and Communication Cluster. This has made a significant difference in how the operations have been conducted. At this stage, no concrete results or impacts can be claimed, but the solid foundations have been laid for a fruitful cooperation. The NEPAD@10 events in New York shed light on AU/NPCA at the global level. The Press Conference triggered a genuine interest from journalists who seemed very eager to get more regular basis first hand information on Africa from Senior Officials from the African Union. 9

10 III. Challenges and constraints Despite many spectacular progresses, the main challenge remains the level of cooperation between the ACC and the rest of the clusters. The mechanism to share readers friendly stories is not yet in place and the clusters still work independently while communication should be cross cutting. The main obstacle remains the appointment of a focal point for communication in each cluster. Nevertheless, even where they do exist, it has not shown dramatic results thus far. The information tends to remains confined with the boundaries of each cluster and do not circulate. With minimum funding, the ACC could create a newsletter or a web platform where ideas could be exchanged in real time using contributions from every cluster and achieve the goal of mainstreaming communication in the Regional Coordination Mechanism. The other constraint faced by the cluster is the lack of specific budget allocation which renders difficult the planning of activities. IV. Lessons learned and the way forward Lessons learned The ownership by the Directorate of Information and Communication has been key to the cluster s work, objectives and successes. The absence of tangible progress over the last twelve months in the representation of RECs and Focal Points for Communication remains a major hindrance in ensuring effective mainstreaming advocacy and communication strategy throughout the RCM and its cluster system. Way forward The goal of the ACC is to promote the work of AU/NPCA and to mobilise African and international support to the implementation of AUC and AU/NPCA priority areas. With the ongoing leadership by the African Union, the growing interest of the RECs in the RCM process, and the new impact based approach, the Advocacy and Communication cluster is confident that the flow of communication will be more efficient and reach the target audiences in order to gain support of populations and ownership of the Development agenda of the continent. 10