EBA Moldova, represented by Mariana Rufa was selected to participate as a speaker within the East Invest BSO Academy, with a generic “How to make your voice heard!”. The Academy took place over January 5-8, 2016 in IHK Akademie Westerham, Germany.
The goal of the EBA involvement was to share the best experience and lessons learnt in the process of lobby and advocacy. EBA offered a presentation in which Mariana Rufa touched upon the actions, advocacy process, sector committees, B2G Platforms, strategies, success stories and lessons learnt by EBA over 4 years of its activity. Mariana Rufa provided the audience with an insight into the art of advocacy, including a presentation of different scenarios in which advocacy can be used by a BSO to reach its objectives and to enhance its capacity. The Presentation presented the various steps of the advocacy process: identifying problems and related policy issues; defining the advocacy goal; consulting members/stakeholders; initiating/framing a proposal; development of Position papers, approaching the government as well as post advocacy steps etc. The Speaker has also organized a practical exercise where all the steps mentioned in the process could be applied and discussed in practical terms.
Representatives of various BSOs from Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan had the possibility to ask questions, clarify different practical cases and examples, share their experience and ensure an active networking among all the countries.