Advocacy

Western Uganda FBOs Network is a strong faith-based voice in policy consultations. Faith organizations exert influence as strong advocate’s vis-à-vis authorities, impacting legal, and health and education systems. Winning the support of faith leaders and faith organizations can have a snowball effect on policies in many sectors. Western Uganda FBOs Network creates opportunities to engage in policy discussions at international, regional level, national and sub-national level. We broker partnerships and alliances between unlikely parties – interfaith, intra-faith, donors, governments, secular civil society organizations and private sector.

Many faith resolutions and recommendations are powerful mandates and entry points to transform decision makers’ attitudes and weigh in on policy making processes. Western Uganda FBOs Network develops timely and context-specific analysis and recommendations to help advocates and decision makers make informed decisions. These are careful communication and advocacy briefs, making reference to religious texts and medical evidence, and “re-packaging” sensitive terminology in faith-acceptable language. Complementing existing materials, these briefs are developed in collaboration with recognized theologians and are religion-specific.

Western Uganda FBOs Network provides proactive and on-demand technical assistance to decision makers when drafting new policies and programs, organizing national and international conferences. This activity, can be formal by participating or leading formal consultations, or when preparing for statutory meetings and technical working groups. It can be informal when parliamentarians ask for advice or for technical input on policy documents. Enabling constructive dialogue is paramount. Western Uganda FBOs Network organizes dialogues between faith leaders and organizations, media, government and development stakeholders to create consensus on different issues.

Western Uganda FBOs Network facilitates participation of faith leaders and faith organization’s in policy consultations. It encourages decision makers at international, regional and national level to include faith organizations into their national delegations to international policy making events and seeks an observer status in statutory planning meetings. Western Uganda FBOs Network’s is highly skilled and effective in securing space for faith organization’s on their national delegations, and observer status during United Nations, African Union and East African Community summits and other events.