Health research and advocacy

Creating changeBy Andrew ChetleyDirector of ProgrammesHealthlink Worldwide

Irish Forum for Global HealthSeptember 2006

What is advocacy?

Process to: bring about change in the policies, laws and practices

of influential individuals, groups and institutions (International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Zimbabwe, 2001)

influence policy and decision makers, to fight for social change, to transform public perceptions and attitudes, to modify behaviours, or to mobilise human and financial resources. (GAVI)

use information strategically to change policies that affect the lives of disadvantaged people. (BOND)

change attitudes, actions, policies and laws by influencing people and organisations with power, systems and structures at different levels for the betterment of people affected by the issue. (India HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2002)

What is advocacy? (2)

take action directed at changing the policies, positions and programmes of any type of institution. (SARA Project)

plead for, defend or recommend an idea before other people. (SARA Project)

speak up, draw attention to an issue, win the support of key constituencies in order to influence policies and spending, and bring about change. (WHO TB Programme)

Advocacy is about influencing or changing relationships of power (World Bank)

Whose voices are heard?

Representation: speaking on behalf of the voiceless (for)

Mobilisation: encouraging others to speak with you (with)

Empowerment: supporting the voiceless to speak for themselves (by)

Whose agendas?

Northern agency; Southern citizen PRSPs in Nicaragua PRSPs in Uganda

Perspectives of health workers and community members Rational drug use in the Philippines Maternal health in Cambodia TB patients in Tanzania Tribal populations in India

Whose evidence counts?

CSOs provide useful health research on: underlying determinants of health health systems implementation and

intervention studies strategies for policy change.

Sanders, et al, 2004 Bull WHO

Using the evidence

Networking – increasing the chances and the conversations

Champions and connectors Building influencing capacity –

Ugandan Network of Researchers and Research Users

Building alliances – GEGA Communication, integration,

evaluation

Enabling voices to be heard

Healthlink works to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in developing countries.

It does this by strengthening the ability of vulnerable communities to identify and communicate effectively their own needs and priorities and by enabling their voices to be heard.

Healthlink helps communities:

participate in the development and delivery of community-based services

represent themselves and participate in public dialogue

strengthen their own capacity to communicate and be included in decision making processes

influence decision-makers directly.

Our programmes:

facilitate community and policy dialogues develop innovative tools and techniques

for strengthening communication and learning

support the development of local level communication strategies and information centres on major development issues

provide capacity development in health communication, advocacy, knowledge management and learning

More information

www.healthlink.org.uk www.asksource.info

(Source is an international information support centre which strengthens the management, use and impact of information on health, disability and other development topics.)