HIV Call to Action.pdfMicah Network Advocacy Forum
The Micah Network Advocacy Forum was established in July 2006 and has approximately 40 members who are practitioners.
Terms of reference
1. Name: Micah Network Advocacy Forum
- 'Advocacy' because it leaves open the option for participating organisations to be represented by a 'policy' or 'campaigns' person
- Understood that agencies usually to be represented by an advocacy 'director' but 'directors' not in name so as to give agencies flexibility to appoint appropriate person
- 'Forum' to indicate exchange of ideas and not 'network' so as to differentiate easily from Micah 'Network'
- Acronym: 'M-NAF' will keep us from taking ourselves too seriously!
2. Purposes
- to develop Christian/biblical policy perspectives/distinctives/agendas on poverty, justice and development issues
- to develop a south-north advocacy discussion among Christian advocacy directors
- to support and make most effective use of Christian representatives in international advocacy processes (e.g. Erika Izquierdo in the International Facilitation Team of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty)
- to share information and resources and provide advice to each other
- occasionally to coordinate approaches to particular processes, meetings etc (e.g. the G8; the World Bank/IMF cycle)
- occasionally to contribute to a common 'policy briefing' project (e.g. top-line international briefing for Micah Sunday)
- to be a pool of expertise for Micah Network to draw on in preparing advocacy workshops
3. Scope
Perhaps three types of discussion:
- Broad issues and campaigns – poverty, inequality, the MDGs, Micah Challenge, GCAP
- Sectoral issues and campaigns – HIV/AIDs, climate change, water and sanitation; just governance…
- Approaches and programs to develop advocacy capacity at all levels
4. Modes of discussion
- Face to face: At Micah Network Tri-ennial Consultations and regional workshops
- Email: the main mode, perhaps incorporating listserver and email discussion techniques
- Teleconference/skype etc: secondary mode for sub-group project work
If you would like to enquire about joining the Micah Network Advocacy Forum, please contact the facilitator, Ben Thurley at ben@tear.org.au.
Advocacy Forum Meeeting
Micah Network's Advocacy Forum now has 40+ members who are advocacy and public policy practitioners. This group meets primarily by email but a rare face to face meeting was held on 3 October 2007 in Malaysia at the Micah Network Asia Pacific Consultation on Marginalised People- Our Christian Response. The meeting was facilitated by Ben Thurley (TEAR Australia) and Andy Atkins (Tearfund UK).