6.2 Global-level advocacy

It is important to recognise that influential advocacy targets are often based outside the country experiencing the emergency. An appropriate advocacy strategy may therefore require advocacy-related collaboration with the wider CARE membership. In such cases, the joint coordinated advocacy activities by CI Members, COs and the CI Secretariat toward international actors constitute a form of ‘global advocacy’ as mandated under the current CI Strategic Plan.

Through global advocacy actions, CARE can:

• influence governments to exert bilateral influence over the local and national authorities in the country where the crisis is taking place by providing information and advocacy messages for CI Members to take up directly with their governments, particularly with governments that have a particular influence in an emergency situation (for example, as donors, conflict mediators or contributors to peacekeeping forces)
• exert influence in multilateral forums-such as the EU, AU and UN-to give attention to CARE’s humanitarian concerns and recommendations through CARE’s advocacy positions in Brussels, Geneva and New York
• strengthen our collective advocacy impacts by developing common messages based on existing CI advocacy initiatives related to humanitarian issues (see Chapter 36 Other key policy issues: humanitarian policy briefs)
• widely publicise an advocacy issue in the international media to increase pressure on officials at all levels. This is done by ensuring CARE’s media units and messages are properly aligned with the CO’s evolving analysis and advocacy messages.

Country Offices should contact the CI Advocacy Coordinator or CEG for assistance with global advocacy actions. Similarly, any CARE International Members engaging in advocacy should coordinate closely with the CI Advocacy Coordinator to ensure that CARE’s international-level advocacy is properly aligned with the CO’s needs, analysis and advocacy messages.