Best Practices in Public Policy Advocacy for Business Associations
June 11 , 2008
What do members expect, the private sector need, and transparent governance require? According to EDGE Chief of Party Mark McCord, the answer is public policy advocacy. “With all its pitfalls, public policy advocacy is the foundational strength of most business associations,” he said in an EDGE-organized workshop on international best practices in public policy advocacy. More than twenty-five participants from different Cypriot business associations attended the workshop. The second in a series of workshops, this event focused on public policy advocacy systems, delivered through a presentation by Mark McCord. Break out sessions and discussion groups were led by EDGE team members Sertac Barkin (Advocacy Communications Techniques), Mark McCord (Direct Advocacy Lobbying Techniques) and Ilke Mollaoglu (Developing Advocacy Coalitions). A panel discussion on “Mobilizing the Turkish Cypriot Business Community for Success in Public Policy Advocacy” was facilitated by EDGE’s team leader on trade, Meliha Kaymak, and included Presidents of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry and Turkish Cypriot Banks Association. The panel focused on the organizations’ philosophy on public policy advocacy, examples of recent success and the biggest challenges the organizations have faced.
In his closing remarks, Keith E. Simmons, Acting USAID Representative, thanked the associations for their participation and underlined that business associations play a critical role in any economy. Mr. Simmons also said that strengthening business associations is an important part of the work that USAID supports through EGDE, to strengthen business associations and to prepare grounds for Cyprus’ economic future.
Strengthening business associations is also an important part of the EDGE project, which is working to encourage growth in the Turkish Cypriot economy. Like all U.S. Government programs in Cyprus, EDGE is aimed at facilitating reunification of the island, including through responsible economic growth and sound environmental management.
What do members expect, the private sector need, and transparent governance require? According to EDGE Chief of Party Mark McCord, the answer is public policy advocacy. “With all its pitfalls, public policy advocacy is the foundational strength of most business associations,” he said in an EDGE-organized workshop on international best practices in public policy advocacy. More than twenty-five participants from different Cypriot business associations attended the workshop. The second in a series of workshops, this event focused on public policy advocacy systems, delivered through a presentation by Mark McCord. Break out sessions and discussion groups were led by EDGE team members Sertac Barkin (Advocacy Communications Techniques), Mark McCord (Direct Advocacy Lobbying Techniques) and Ilke Mollaoglu (Developing Advocacy Coalitions). A panel discussion on “Mobilizing the Turkish Cypriot Business Community for Success in Public Policy Advocacy” was facilitated by EDGE’s team leader on trade, Meliha Kaymak, and included Presidents of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry and Turkish Cypriot Banks Association. The panel focused on the organizations’ philosophy on public policy advocacy, examples of recent success and the biggest challenges the organizations have faced.
