Facilitated Advocacy for Sustainable Development

Book excerpt: Facilitated advocacy is an approach to development initiatives that enables people situated across diverse cultural, economic, educational, professional, societal and linguistic spheres to engage more equitably. By doing so, potential changes in policy and practice can improve people’s livelihoods and life circumstances. This book provides context and definition for facilitated advocacy. It suggests a role for the approach, as the world once again embarks on a set of UN-coordinated development goals. The book outlines the skills and experience required to facilitate groups of people in order to identify and advocate for changes that they consider necessary. This is illustrated through a series of co-authored case studies from Cambodia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. These range from standing up for the rights of tribal communities in eastern India and improving service delivery to villages in Vietnam, to developing an inclusive fisheries policy in Pakistan and building social enterprises in Odisha State of India. This book offers a critically reflective description of what has been tried, adapted and replicated, furthering action research in the field of development studies. It offers theorists and practitioners an opportunity to examine their own work in contrast and in recognition of the realities of living with paradoxes.