This document discusses monitoring advocacy efforts for climate change. It provides reasons for monitoring advocacy, which include helping to steer efforts, learn lessons, ensure accountability, and motivate further action. Some challenges of monitoring advocacy are identified, such as the long time frame between actions and impacts, and numerous influencing factors. Solutions proposed include understanding the difference between attribution and contribution, having a clear theory of change, and collecting purposeful data. The document advocates for monitoring systems that provide real-time information, track progress towards objectives, gather credible evidence, and are easy to use. It provides an example of progress markers and constructing a monitoring framework with objectives, milestones, and indicators.

1. Monitoring Climate Change Advocacy
SV/CANSA workshop,
Kathmandu, April 2014

2. To steer
To learn
To be accountable
To motivate
Why are we monitoring advocacy?
Our monitoring
should help us
do all of these

3. The advocacy cycle
Diagram courtesy of Ian Chandler
Define your objective
well…
…to make it
easier to monitor

4. Some challenges of monitoring
advocacy
• Long time frame between action and impact
• Many more influencing factors with no simple
cause/effect
• Seen as too difficult, so staff avoid it
• With the result that we generally
– Avoid doing it, or
– Collect too much data and don’t use it well
– Focus on monitoring activities & actions, not
results

5. Some solutions….
1. Understanding and accepting the difference
between attribution and contribution – be satisfied
with contributing to change
2. Having an explicit pathway towards achieving
impact (theory of change)
3. Remember all four reasons for monitoring – and
be clear of the purpose of all the data you collect
(avoid collecting data that serve no purpose!)

6. M&E systems for Advocacy should
1. Provide “real-time” information that enables
advocates to make decisions on their next steps
(tactics and actions) within the defined strategy.
2. Track progress towards the overall objectives
along the pathway set out in the influencing
strategy.
3. Gather credible evidence and enable objective
analysis for learning and accountability.
4. Be easy to use and understand.

7. courtesy of Ian Chandler

8. advocacy goal

9. Example of progress markers
1. Created debate on issue/put issue on policy agenda
2. Evidence and analysis influences debate
3. Influential “champions” emerge
4. Widespread agreement among influential
stakeholders
5. Gained policy commitments from decision
makers
6. Policy formulated/proposed
7. Policy agreed/adopted
8. Policy implemented/ practice
change evident

10. Construct your monitoring framework
step Marker Indicator 1 Indicator 2 Indicator 3
1 Created debate on
issue/put issue
on policy agenda
10 articles mention
the topic in the press
Presentations
made at 5
events
3 public stunts
or
demonstrations
2 Evidence and
analysis influences
debate
Report of findings
quoted in 3 press
editorials
Survey results
>50% public
support
Volume of
tweet traffic
increases
3 Influential
“champions”
emerge
New advocacy allies
declare support
5 members
raise questions
in parliament
Religious
leaders voice
concern
4 …
5 …
6 …
7 Policy
agreed/adopted

11. Exercise
• Divide into three groups
• Chose one objective that represents the
change your group wants to see
• Construct a progress ladder of how you will
get there
• Focus on “milestones” or “achievements”,
rather than activities

12. Suggested objectives derived from the
JAS
1. Government shows full public accountability
for how adaptation funds have been spent
2. Local adaptation plans are the building block
of national adaptation plans
3. Sector X (could be energy, agriculture, health)
incorporates adaptation into its plans and
operations
4. Indigenous & local knowledge is incorporated
into adaptation planning