Kampanjutvärdering - diskussionsunderlag Underlag till styrelsemöte 1-2 september 2003

Till: Styrelsen
Från Maria Eklund
Datum: 19 september 2003


Kampanjutvärdering - diskussionsunderlag

Bilaga: Utdrag av sammanfattning av rapporten ACT 40/003/2002, Report of the Evaluation of the Campaign Against Torture.

Detta underlag syftar till att vägleda diskussionen om kampanjutvärderingar på nästa styrelsemöte.

1. Diskutera styrelsens och sekretariatets roller i fråga om kampanjplanering och kampanjutvärdering. Vill styrelsen medverka aktivt i dessa aktiviteter, t ex i arbetet att formulera mål för kampanjer? Är informationen från sekretariatet tillräcklig?

2. Diskutera vilka rekommendationer som bör beaktas vid utarbetandet av planer och projekt som ligger på styrelsens bord (t ex handlingsplanen).

3. Diskutera om vi (sektionen) tycker att rekommendationerna har beaktats i tillräcklig utsträckning vid planeringen av kampanjen om våld mot kvinnor.



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Utdrag av sammanfattning av rapporten ACT 40/003/2002, daterad 2002-09-02
AI Members Only
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REPORT OF THE EVALUATION OF THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE

Summary
AI's third global campaign against torture – Take A Step To Stamp Out Torture – was launched on 18 October 2000. In April 2002, the IS commissioned a team of external consultants to evaluate the campaign and make recommendations, that is hoped, will assist AI in developing a new strategy and campaigning techniques that will make our continued work on torture more effective.
This report contains the output of the work done by the consultants, as is.

Distribution
Please make copies of the report available to all your coordinators engaged in campaigning work.

Recommended Actions
Sections are encouraged to read the report and make use of the sets of recommendations in planning their work on torture.

Summary of Recommendations

1. GIVE GREATER FOCUS TO ORGANISATIONAL AMBITIONS

One striking facet of the Campaign Against Torture has been the extent of the ambition that has been driving it and ultimately unbalancing it. As one interviewee commented, " AI is trying to do too many things. They need to concentrate on making everything fit together rather than launching lots of new initiatives." Things didn't fit together well within the campaign because too much was packed in without a coherent strategic framework underpinning the process. In particular, a clear issue emerged relating to the tensions between the diversity of sectoral interests against the imperative to achieve cost-effective impact. AI must take and enforce some tough decisions about what's in and what's out within its campaigns. To be effective, the Movement must establish clarity about what the priorities really are. The basis of this should be a realistic assessment of what's achievable, not an expedient inclusion of disparate elements advanced by various internal pressure groups.

2. BUILD TOWARDS LONG-TERM CHANGE

Short-lived campaigns can be very effective but they have to have clear and achievable objectives that can feasibly be met within the timeframe of the campaign. Short-lived campaigns designed to achieve significant long-term global change tend to be de-motivating, difficult to manage (and exit from) and ineffective. AI should establish feasible long-term campaign goals, and should continue working on identified issues until the goal is either met or clearly off the political agenda. The implication of this for the future of the torture campaign is that AI cannot simply drop it and move on. Decisions about the campaign should be made with particular reference to relevant external factors.

3. ESTABLISH & COMMUNICATE CLEAR CAMPAIGN NARRATIVES

AI needs to work to an organisationally-accepted and commonly-used campaign hierarchy that is backed by a coherent planning framework and process (encompassing, for example, vision – goals – objectives – strategy – actions – indicators – means of verification).

4. ESTABLISH ENABLING STRUCTURES

Comments on AI's structure go beyond the remit of this evaluation, except to say that within the Campaign Against Torture the complexity of the IS structure and the absence of clear lines of decision-making authority has clearly militated against the ability to deliver an effective global campaign. In particular, the Campaigns Programme Team seems to be in the unenviable position of carrying the accountability for the campaign without commensurate responsibility invested in it by the Movement. At the very least, it should be possible for AI to invest authority within the campaigning programme so that it's possible to identify who's in charge of what, when. Structures and systems need to be in place to promote accountability, not help conceal it.

5. INTEGRATE CAMPAIGNING AND THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME

Quality research is a tool for change and should be a key component of the portfolio of approaches within AI's campaigning programme. To maximise the campaign effectiveness of its research, AI should ensure that:
§ researchers and campaigners plan and work much more closely together with joint planning of priorities and initiatives;
§ the logic of the campaign drives the research programme not the other way round;
§ target audiences for research reports are specified, and their needs identified, at the commissioning stage;
§ accountability for the timeliness of reports (incorporating the need for timely translation in the core languages) is embedded within researchers' work programmes

6. ADD VALUE THROUGH INTEGRATING LEVELS OF CAMPAIGNING

It's clear that in terms of policy-making, governments and institutions are increasingly operating regionally and internationally. There is a trend too towards regionalised capacity building within civil society. In response to this, AI should prioritise:
§ the identification of themes that allow for mobilisation across regions and internationally
§ the creation of campaign frameworks that facilitate joint coordinated regional and international action

7. INTEGRATE THE TOOLS USED FOR ACHIEVING CHANGE

AI should construct its campaigning approach on the basis of the following questions:
§ Who is it that needs to change?
§ How do they need to change? And,
§ What will influence them to change in this way?
Overall, AI needs to develop a better understanding of how the various campaign components can and do fit together to create a coherent approach

8. ADD VALUE THROUGH WORKING WITH OTHERS

AI already recognises the value of working with like minded organisations to achieve common goals. However, to be effective any agreement to work together must have clear parameters – partners must be clear as to what is the expected value of working together and clear guidance must be given to ensure that any partnerships are focused on achieving mutually agreed objectives.

9. MONITOR AND EVALUATE

AI must:
§ set clear, monitorable objectives at both IS and Section levels;
§ identify at the outset the indicators and the means of verification to be used to assess progress;
§ establish systematic reporting procedures to capture evaluation information;
§ invest capacity in developing an impact-based methodology and culture

10. DEVELOP A CAMPAIGNING CULTURE

AI should ensure that the following principles apply within the campaigns programme:
§ AI must place more value on the quality of the internal communications programme in order to reverse the current situation where there is protracted consultation but no buy-in to the process;
§ the development and delivery of campaigns should be based on assessment of external opportunities and hooks, not on subjective internal imperatives;
§ AI must move away from focusing on outputs to highlighting and valuing outcomes; across the range of critical relationships that underpin the campaigns programme, there needs to be greater levels of trust and respect instead of defensiveness and suspicion;
§ AI needs to have in place effective and expeditious decision making to ensure that its campaigns are fast-moving, reactive, and opportunistic;
§ the skills of AI's campaigners need to be harnessed not suppressed: AI's campaigns systems and processes must break through the bureaucracy that currently stifles risk taking and innovation

11. DON'T BURY THESE RECOMMENDATIONS

In the past, it seems that follow up to recommendations has been weak. We urge that those with decision making authority within AI consider using the recommendations we have outlined in this paper as the basis to establish a clear timetable of actions to help resolve the problems and difficulties this evaluation has exposed. If it is decided not to implement these recommendations then a clear explanation as to why should be distributed to those who receive this report.