Advocacy

Advocacy can be done in a lot of different ways, but also on a lot of different levels. Within each of these levels, you target different people, such as community leaders or the Mayor (local), Members of Parliament and policy makers (national), international companies, organizations, or delegates at a United Nations meeting (international).

Local
When advocacy is done on a local level, it often targets and is driven by the local community. Local advocacy tries to positively affect the local communities directly by involving them in the campaign and cooperating with them to ask for change!

National
We speak of national advocacy when it is done at a national level. National advocacy can target a change where the entire country benefits from, or also a change at the state/province level.

International
International advocacy targets a worldwide audience and national policymakers who are involved in international processes and often wants to bring change in international agreements about a specific issue. However, without advocacy on the local and national level to move decision-makers to implement international agreements, it is difficult to keep governments accountable. 

United Nations Advocacy

Whether it’s your first time or you are already a well-weathered advocate, preparing to attend a New York based United Nations (UN) event like the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), or the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), can be a daunting task. But we got your back! 

The 'So you're going to the UN, Now What?' infographic aims to help young people successfully advocate for their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). 

There are many different reasons to go to the UN. You can go to advocate for your rights, to learn, to share your experiences, to network, to gain professional experience, etc. This resource was created for anyone looking to learn more on how to successfully prepare to attend a UN process in New York. The is focused primarily on young people who want to do advocacy at the UN in New York, but it can be useful for a broader audience. It includes information on:

• How to conduct evidence-based advocacy,
• Creative methods for capturing public attention and support
• How to follow-up on international commitments back home,
• and even a hand packing list!

Factsheets on UN processes

These factsheets provide you with information on what the process is about, why it is important, and how you can get involved. This series includes Factsheets on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the 2030 Agenda, and the Human Rights Council.

A note on language

Now that you know what you want to advocate for and who you are going to target, it's time to get started on your advocacy-journey. However, when engaging with decision-makers you'll notice that they tend to use technical and dense language that's hard to understand. But don't worry, we're going to help you get hip with the lingo! Check out the resources below, save them to your laptop or print them out to have your on-the-go advocacy dictionary with you. 

The CHOICE SRHR glossary

This glossary provides short and youth-friendly definitions of key sexual and reproductive health and right terms. It offers you a searchable database explaining all key terms you will come across when engaging with United Nations advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights.