OSCE Tashkent Centre trains Uzbekistan's civil society organizations on public advocacy

TASHKENT, 7 July 2005 - Twenty-five members of civil society organizations from all over Uzbekistan are taking part in a training programme on the role of public advocacy in civil society, organized by the OSCE Centre in Tashkent.

The four-day event on the "Basics of Advocacy", which started at the Hotel Grand Mir yesterday, is part of the OSCE Centre's "Women Empowerment" programme, aimed at enhancing civil society organizations' capacity in advocacy.

Topics to be presented and discussed during the training events will include the nature and role of public advocacy within the context of democratic societies, developing and conducting advocacy campaign by emphasizing public education.

Participants will explore and practice elements of planning needs assessment, and defining goals and targets, stakeholders' analysis, working with the media and structural environment.

Special emphasis will be given to co-operation and solidarity, as well as to monitoring and evaluation of the advocacy campaign as a process of learning from experiences.

Training will serve as an opportunity to create a learning community and share already existing experiences and material on the subject matter.