Evidence-Based Advocacy - United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

Section IV: Dissemination and communication of
advocacy messages for gender in education
We have examined what advocacy is, what some theoretical models of advocacy are, what are some kinds of
evidence that we can use to advance advocacy for gender in education, and how to craft messages using all this
information. We now turn to the process of disseminating and communicating the crafted advocacy messages
upwards to policymakers, and downwards and laterally to key stakeholders and other players in communities,
schools, families and other contexts.
Dissemination
Disseminating a message can be done using a wide variety of contexts and platforms. Advocates of gender equality
in education can use a wide variety of advocacy opportunities including political or social events such as
conferences, workshops, commemorative days observed by international organizations and government agencies,
consultations, celebrity visits and reporting events and processes.
Using advocacy opportunities
As mentioned before, there advocacy opportunities may present themselves in a wider variety of ways: Using these
innovatively may help facilitate the
advocacy process.
In order to utilize existing advocacy
opportunities, we need to plan strategically
to build on key social or political events
related to your advocacy issue during the
decision-making period.
While doing this, it important to bear in
mind:
Who has power at different stages
of the process?
How can you involve children of
both sexes in advocacy?
Examples of advocacy
opportunities are usually relevant
social or political events and might
include:
EAPRO00020 © UNICEF/EAPRO00020/ KATHARINE MYSAK
o Conferences;
o Workshops;
o International Women’s Day, World Day against Child Labour;
o Consultations on major policy reviews – e.g., Poverty Reduction Strategy Process;
o Celebrity visits;
o Reporting platforms pertaining to the UN Convention on Children’s Rights; and
o Other international instruments and reporting processes.
East Asia and Pacific Regional UNGEI: Evidence-based advocacy for gender in education, a learning guide 42