REGIONAL ADVOCACY STRATEGY

The Fairtrade Global Strategy for 2021-2025 identifies advocacy as a pivotal instrument for advancing sustainable income and wages among producers and workers. Fairtrade NAPP aligns its advocacy initiatives with the global framework while tailoring its approaches and objectives to fit the specific context of the region. The Fairtrade NAPP Regional Advocacy Strategy for 2023-2025 establishes a comprehensive framework to guide advocacy efforts, thereby bolstering NAPP’s operations in the APAC region over the next three years.

This strategic framework isn’t just a plan; it’s a commitment to empower communities, influence public policy, and create meaningful socio-economic change over the next three years.

At the heart of Fairtrade NAPP’s mission lies the desire to undertake structured advocacy work, both regionally and nationally. Drawing from the wealth of experience and successes achieved thus far, Fairtrade NAPP has crafted a focused and deliberate path that resonates with its core values. The strategy not only aligns with NAPP’s vision but also acts as a guiding light for collective efforts across the region.

The changing risk environment in APAC has been crucial in shaping this strategy. With a multitude of development contexts across various nations, Fairtrade NAPP is mindful of the diverse and evolving needs of its stakeholders.

What NAPP offers with this strategy is a unifying framework. It encapsulates the essential elements of work that must transcend borders within the region. As a part of Strategy 05 key countries—India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan have been identified for prioritising advocacy efforts and offering a solid foundation from which tailored, in-depth strategies can be crafted, responsive to the specific contexts and challenges of each nation.

The objectives set out the long-term changes that NAPP aims to bring about through advocacy and are critical to accelerate progress on the Fairtrade agenda.

1. Policy, legal, and regulatory conditions promote Fairtrade

Governments are mobilized to promote fairer trading conditions and make sustainable livelihoods for producers and workers, central to their develop agendas.

2. Capacitated producer / worker communities advocate for change

Producer and worker communities, which are the foundation on which NAPP exists, actively advocate for change on public policies and practices that impact their work and sustainable livelihoods.

3. Sustainable partnerships and support networks amplify NAPP’s advocacy work

Collaborative actions are undertaken to influence the Fairtrade agenda, through partnerships, alliances, support networks, and deepened engagement with key stakeholders.

4. ENABLER: Strengthened operational performance supports advocacy goals

The implementation of coherent and timely advocacy interventions is supported by strengthened advocacy capacities within NAPP, strong processes, and systems for advocacy, along with fluid communication streams between players within the Fairtrade system at global, regional and national levels.

The Strategic Objectives act as the the stepping-stones to meet the long term advocacy objectives:

SO 1: Catalyse government support and funding for the Fairtrade agenda:

NAPP’s core advocacy objective is to influence change in public policies and practices, in ways that will have a positive impact on “connecting disadvantaged producers and consumers, promoting fairer trading conditions and empowering producers to combat poverty, strengthen their position and take more control over their lives.”

This will include leveraging government funds to meet these objectives. In the next three years, NAPP will build its visibility and credibility with Government stakeholders at national, state / province and local levels by participating in relevant national and local forums. It will support access to government programmes and resources, and initiate evidence-based political advocacy work on key themes.

SO 2: Build advocacy capacities of NAPP’s Fairtrade Movement Leaders

To effectively meet SO 1, Fairtrade NAPP will need to prepare and strengthen the capacities of Fairtrade movement leaders – which will include PO representatives, union leaders, NAPP consultants, and staff – to effectively advocate for policy/program needs that benefit producers and workers.

In the next three years, NAPP will focus on building an inclusive culture of advocacy within the organisation, with diffused responsibilities. It will further build the technical capacities of the Fairtrade movement leaders, as well as their capacities to engage and network with key government stakeholders.

• Establish and strengthen partnerships, alliances, and networks for advocacy

NAPP’s vision imagines a world radically different from what it is right now, where all producers and workers can enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods, fulfill their potential and decide on their future. Through advocacy, NAPP seeks to influence and collaborate with its key stakeholders, to achieve impact at a greater scale and degree of sustainability than that can be achieved through its direct services alone. Based on this understanding that active partnerships are crucial to achieving its mission, NAPP will seek to collaborate with partners and allies on advocacy initiatives, to promote long-term, sustainable change.

When undertaking initiatives in partnerships with other organisations, NAPP may take either of two approaches: It may lead advocacy under its brand, or support advocacy work through coalitions or alliances. When NAPP supports, rather than leads advocacy initiatives, it will subsume its brand unless there is a justification for not doing so.

Based on the above objectives country-level annual action plans are developed across producer countries taking into account the local contexts and sensitivities. This includes deep-diving into identifying specific products to advocate for based on current and emerging opportunities and opportunities for collaboration, and joint action across countries.