//English below//
“We are not seen as equals.”
Led by thoughtful leaders during Day 2 of the NEAR MENA Summit, we confronted harsh truths, explored actionable visions, strategies, and practical tools. Day 2 was about centring the work of NEAR localisation labs in advocacy, influencing and strategic engagement towards improving the aid system and in these efforts.
The NEAR Influencing Team reviewed how to design and implement advocacy strategies, particularly in evolving contexts. We unveiled the new Delegates Programme which will help to improve and strengthen the advocacy capacity for the collective.
We also reviewed recently published NEAR Policy Brief on Coordination and Complementarity which was created in close collaboration with NEAR members using a policy circle. This policy brief highlights common barriers that local organisations face and lays out the future vision for coordination and complementarity through incremental, cultural, and transformational changes. It’s a tool for building a collective voice within movements and advocating externally to stakeholders at national, regional, and international levels.
Leaders of local NGOs from across countries in the region highlighted that,
“Whenever we’re invited to coordination platforms, UN agencies want to chair all of them. We have to repeat the same thing. We don’t know who is responsible for taking the decision or who is doing the coordination?”
And they also identified that, “Collective national advocacy through [NEAR localisation] Labs is crucial to having a strong and united voice”
NEAR members – Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) and Lebanon Humanitarian and Development Forum (LFDF) – shared concrete examples about how their strategic and persistent coordination advocacy efforts have resulted in increased participation and leadership within internationally-dominated spaces.
During the reception, we had the opportunity to hear from and engage with regional localisation lab leaders and a diverse group from the international community – INGOs, donors and other international agencies.
The summit’s energy and momentum are palpable. We’re looking forward to welcoming additional regional leaders to the concluding third day which will be focused on Solutions!
We wrapped up the day with Nadine Saba’s concluding remarks and call to action,
“Local organisations and leaders, can and will, create a paradigm shift”