Regional Advocacy Network (RAN)
The Regional Advocacy Network (RAN) of Helvetas in Eastern and Southeastern Europe seeks to be a strategic alliance to drive impactful policy advocacy and support sustainable, inclusive development across the region.
Factsheet
- Schools involved School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences
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Institute(s)
HAFL Institut Hugo P. Cecchini
Agriculture - Research unit(s) International Agriculture and Rural Development
- Funding organisation Others
- Duration (planned) 01.12.2024 - 28.02.2025
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Zenebe Uraguchi
- Project staff Prof. Dr. Zenebe Uraguchi
- Partner Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
- Keywords Climate change mitigation and adaptation;Capacity building;Knowledge management;Innovation and co-creation of knowledge;Society, policy and rural development;
Situation
For many years, Helvetas Eastern Europe has been implementing a wide range of development projects across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. These initiatives have primarily focused on vocational education, private sector development, local governance, and decentralization. Adopting a systemic approach, most projects incorporate an advocacy component and collaborate with strategic partners from the private and public sectors, as well as civil society, to promote sustainable and inclusive change. Until recently, there had been no structured exchange of advocacy knowledge and practices across countries and sectors. To address this gap and leverage the extensive advocacy expertise spread across the region, Helvetas launched a Regional Advocacy Effort in 2018, aimed at benefiting its projects and partners.
Course of action
To build on the knowledge generated and extend collaboration beyond annual workshops, Helvetas established the Regional Advocacy Network in late 2020, allocating resources for its coordination. The Network has since facilitated regular exchanges of knowledge and experiences through regional advocacy webinars. These webinars typically feature one or two advocacy interventions from Helvetas projects, emphasizing lessons learned, best practices, and key challenges. The case studies are selected based on unique aspects of advocacy work, aligned with the Helvetas Advocacy Concept and Advocacy Toolbox. From the outset, the Network has been open to partners from diverse sectors, enriching discussions with multiple perspectives and fostering meaningful debates.
