The NGO Expert Center at Almaty Management University and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) conducted a webinar on "NGO Advocacy Activity"

On September 22, the NGO Expert Center of the Almaty Management University and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) conducted a free webinar on NGO Advocacy as part of the NGO Capacity Building Initiative implemented with the support of Chevron.

The participants of the webinar (NGO representatives) learned about the principles, tools, and objectives of advocacy; came to understand the steps of advocacy; and learned how to work with involved parties, create an effective coalition, and correctly draw up an informational message.

Coach Aigul Kaptayeva, Regional Advisor/Senior Legal Adviser for Kazakhstan in the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL) also spoke about the process of lawmaking: what rights do NGOs have in lawmaking? Who do they work with? How do they make changes in the law? In addition, the coach gave practical advice for preparing for meetings with government officials and gave examples of successful NGO advocacy campaigns in Central Asian countries.

Feedback from participants:

Sergey Alekseevich Bogatyrev, head of the Association of Mediators of the Kostanay Region: “This is a very necessary and timely topic. The webinar helped to clarify many issues. I came to understand how to work best with government representatives in order to interest them. I will use this knowledge in my own coaching work, as well as in introducing amendments and additions to the 'On Mediation' Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Nina Fedorovna Yermayeva, “Education and Development” NGO: “The webinar was very rich; the content allows us to visualize (and implement, if necessary) the advocacy process from start to finish based on the experience and practice of neighboring countries. I was interested in the processes and regulations of lawmaking, and I got my answers: where to start, how to plan, how to promote a project, and how it is arranged in Parliament. In general, the webinar packaged the existing knowledge and experience into a system and looked at the entire process visually ... 'from above.”'There is a need to initiate the adoption of a bill that does not yet exist. This is where I will need to apply everything I learned during the webinar.”

Svetlana Bogatyreva, Women's Leadership Fund: “Very good introduction to the topic of advocacy. I received useful recommendations on the next steps I should take in my project. We plan to write a letter to the profile structure (Ministry of Education), and we will try to establish contacts with Deputy Aigul Solovyova - i.e. we will begin an advocacy campaign. Webinar on a relevant and useful topic, a professional and responsive speaker! Thank you so much to the organizers!"