Regional Policy Advocacy and Movement Building
Hand in hand with AFA, AsiaDHRRA took its policy advocacy work a step further and achieved a stronger presence in the region. The concerted efforts and joint activities of AsiaDHRRA and AFA focused on advocacy for pro-small farmer marketing and trading, ASEAN Charter, and sustainable agriculture. AsiaDHRRA also continued to provide secretariat services to AFA, while the latter took several important steps towards its envisioned full secretariat autonomy.
Consolidating AsiaDHRRA experiences in PO-NGO cooperation
AsiaDHRRA’s experiences in PO-NGO cooperation provide a rich and varied source of lessons. These lessons have been captured through case studies that will be published in 2007 and includes a model for PO-NGO relations that guide the work of AsiaDHRRA and AFA at the national level as well as a PO growth-monitoring tool that can be used by both AFA and its member organizations. The case studies are from the Philippines (PAKISAMA-PhilDHHRA), Indonesia (API-Binadesa), Cambodia (FNN-CEDAC), and Taiwan (TaiwanDHRRA/NPUST-TWADA).
Initiating dialogues between AsiaDHRRA and AFA members at the national level
AsiaDHRRA and AFA members in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, and South Korea conducted initial dialogues on the state of their partnerships in order to clarify the roles each organization can play in strengthening farmers’ organizations and making them more responsive to members’ issues. These dialogues are the building blocks for strengthening the partnership of AsiaDHRRA and AFA at the national level. More dialogues leading to more formal partnership agreements will be held in 2007.
Meeting the indicators for AFA autonomy and preparing for smooth transition
AFA’s move towards it eventual secretariat autonomy continued to be supported by AsiaDHRRA through a sustained dialogue between the Executive Committees of both organizations and with the secretariat, as both organizations worked for the fulfilment of AFA’s autonomy indicators.
AFA was legally registered under the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission last February 2006. Its Finance Management System was installed soon after registration and its draft Operations Manual was approved last December. Two staff members were dedicated for AFA work, while the rest of the AsiaDHRRA team provided support. Two medium term proposals have been submitted to Agriterra and IFAD, awaiting final approval by early 2007. An external evaluator conducted interviews among AFA and AsiaDHRRA ExeCom members and secretariat to assess AFA’s preparedness for autonomy. The results of the interviews and the consequent recommendations were presented during a joint meeting of AFA and AsiaDHRRA ExeCom members last December. A task force has been created to see through the major recommendations.
Establishing AFA’s strategic plan
Consistent with its commitment to the building of a strong farmers’ organization that will be a strong voice in the Asian region, AsiaDHRRA and its member DHRRAs actively supported the crafting of AFA’s strategic directions.
AFA’s five-year strategic plan (2006-2010) was developed during the Strategic Planning Workshop and approved by the General Assembly last April. Its operations plan was approved in September. The strategic plan became the basis for project proposals and guided both secretariat and members in establishing performance targets for the next years.
Effective management of events, meetings and daily secretariat operations for AFA
As secretariat for AFA, AsiaDHRRA continued to mobilize the member DHRRAs, its staff, resources, and expertise for the effective and efficient implementation of AFA’s activities.
Six regional events were conducted last 2006, involving 20-30 participants per event. The events were deemed fruitful as objectives were satisfactorily met and concrete outputs were achieved.
The second General Assembly was held last April 2006. A new set of ExeCom leaders, led by Seo, Jung Eui of KAFF, were sworn in. An ExeCom Officers orientation was held in May. Then five Execom meetings were held and important organization matters were decided.
The AFA website was regularly updated, and monthly electronic bulletins were issued starting May. Communications between and among members and partners were sustained. A biennial report of AFA’s activities (2005-2006) was also published.
Continuous building of the capacities of AFA members in organizational development and advocacy
AsiaDHRRA helped further build the capacities of AFA in organizational development and advocacy at the regional and national level through the provision of technical support and the cooperation of the DHRRAs with AFA members.
Several AFA members were profiled in 2006: API, PAKISAMA, and VNFU. The profiles can be referred to when planning concrete actions for strengthening these organizations. The profiling exercise themselves have helped the organizations in assessing themselves in a participatory and transparent manner.
The secretariat assisted API in its documentation of transgenic seeds and facilitated initial strategy meeting with Indonesian-based staff of Third World Network who has interest in this issue.
Aside from these, AFA’s regional events were also geared to further develop AFA members’ knowledge on the following areas: Pro small farmer marketing and trading, mainstreaming sustainable agriculture and organizational management. All regional events included visits to farmers’ areas, where realities in farming communities as well as good practices in agriculture were observed and dialogues with local groups were conducted.
Development and publication of concept papers, position papers and book on issues such as Trade, agriculture, and ASEAN Charter
AsiaDHRRA and AFA pushed advocacy further at the national and regional level through concept papers, position documents and books on issues such as trade, agriculture and the ASEAN Charter.
Among the outputs were the development of AFA’ s concept papers on pro-small farmer marketing and trading and mainstreaming of sustainable agriculture in government policies and programs. The concept papers include AFA’s basic principles on the issue, strategies on how to approach the issues, and calls to government as well as to itself as an organization. The concept papers are designed to guide AFA members in their advocacy on the issue. The concept papers will be featured in the monographs to be published in 2007. Likewise, an issue paper on post-Hongkong WTO was published jointly.
Two declarations were approved during the AFA General Assembly: one on WTO and another on the ASEAN Charter. The declarations were circulated through e-mail. Meanwhile, a letter addressed to WTO’s G33 members was sent as part of the WTO advocacy on the DOHA round.
AFA and AsiaDHRRA contributed to SAPA’s submission on the ASEAN charter, presented to the ASEAN EPG. Also, they contributed a statement on regional integration in agriculture to the final statement of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference 2 (ACSC2).
Also, AFA and AsiaDHRRA jointly published a book “Initiatives on Pro-small farmer trade,” last December, highlighting five cases on the topic.
Sustained presence in regional advocacy work through active participation in various regional and international gatherings
While AsiaDHRRA continued to be active in its advocacy in regional and international gatherings, it stood side-by-side with AFA as the latter took the stage in various fora as the voice of farmers in Asia.
In 2006, AsiaDHRRA together with AFA participated in the IFAD Global Farmers’ Forum, World Rural Congress, FAO-VECO training on marketing, and FAO Asia-Pacific Governors Meeting. It also prepared AFA in its participation in the Rural Producer Organizations’ consultation on the World Development Report 2008.
Both AFA and AsiaDHRRA were represented in SAPA (Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy), which spearheaded the advocacy for a people-centered ASEAN charter. SAPA held a series of meetings to formulate its submission and recommendations to the ASEAN EPG, the body tasked to make official recommendations on the ASEAN Charter.
Constituency Building and Resource Development Program
The capacity to push our limits to be able to continue operations and even invest in members development, joint cooperation & project development during the year despite limited funds further tested AsiaDHRRA’s sustainability efforts.
The challenge to raise resources from traditional and non-traditional donors exists, with the latter the more exigent. Breaking grounds for corporate fund raising is a main thrust of the network.
Visible AsiaDHRRA
AsiaDHRRA broadened its constituency beyond the region. It attended and actively participated in regional & international conferences such as the 3rd Congress of the World Rural Forum (WRF) in Basque, Spain. Together with AFA, it also participated in the First Farmers’ Forum in conjunction with IFAD’s 29th General council Meeting held in Rome, Italy. AsiaDHRRA had some discussions with some international NGOs in Brussels to explore possible EU-Asian cooperation.
AsiaDHRRA’s regional presence has been sustained through engagement with the ASEAN, it’s role in SAPA and the ACSC2. Its active role in the recently concluded ACSC 2 (ASEAN Civil Society Conference 2) held in Cebu City, Philippines enhanced presence at the regional front.
Systematic distribution of AsiaDHRRA publications proved to be effective in information dissemination and knowledge sharing. It has helped create greater awareness and public understanding about the network and its work, and has aided efforts to expand constituencies and encourage the participation of more stakeholders in achieving the network goal.
Sustainability anchored on relevance and good management
2006 has been another challenging year in resource mobilization. Amidst the absence of new project funds, core operations continue unhampered. Through the support of the DHRRA members, the network was able to implement major activities planned in 2006. The 6th AsiaDHRRA General Assembly was generously hosted by DHRRA Malaysia that solicited support from corporations and individuals to cover accommodation costs and other related expenses during the members stay in Malaysia. Other DHRRAs provided support in conducting different organizational meetings during the year.
In 2006, the fees generated from the provision of consultancy services and technical assistance to various partners beefed up AsiaDHRRA’s other receipts on top of the regular membership fees, annual dues, and secretariat management and coordination fees. The funds generated added to the reserve funds used to cover non-budgeted but strategic activities during the year.
Expanding distribution outlets to include schools, bookstores and book fairs also increased book sales. AsiaDHRRA set up a trade booth selling its publications during the ACSC2 Conference and the Phil-Japan Symposium showcasing partnership with Japanese NGOs.
Several project proposals were prepared and submitted to different funding agencies during the year. Approvals are expected to come in 2007. New partnerships were developed in Europe to explore possibility of expanding cooperation.
Organizational Development and Leadership Development
AsiaDHRRA’s leadership development program in 2006 focused on providing processes that enhanced the capacity of its new set of leaders to take on specific roles in moving forward the network’s strategic direction for 2006-2010 based on their fields of expertise.
Internal leadership development
The conscious preparations for the emergence of new set of leaders through the leadership sessions held in previous year gained positive results as manifested by a new set of dynamic leadership elected during the General Assembly in June 2006.
The first leadership development session for the new set of leaders together with the core network secretariat was conducted in December. It was a crucial activity for the network to set the tone and operational direction of AsiaDHRRA with its new leadership. The session facilitated the deepening and internalization of the five-year strategic plan of the network as well as the identification of the leadership agenda of each ExeCom member during their term of office. Anchors and program champions among the leaders were also identified. The leadership session also generated the leadership baseline that will be useful in charting the leadership development program for both ExeCom and Secretariat.
Second Liner Development
A three-month re-orientation program for Mr. Ismail Aziz of DHRRA Malaysia was undertaken geared towards providing learning opportunities on networking and partnership building. Regular coaching and cliniquing session was conducted to allow him to reflect on his experiences and draw out lessons useful for his work upon return to DHRRA Malaysia.
A two months on-the-job training and exposure program for Ms.Miren Larea of WRF was also facilitated. The program was aimed at expanding solidarity and possibilities for cooperation as well as deepening the understanding of Asian rural realities, country development contexts and knowledge of WRF in-country partners work. In addition, the program was also designed to deepen understanding of the regional networking roles of AsiaDHRRA and AFA and relate these to own efforts and plans of WRF as a meaningful platform for global networking and cooperation.
As part of constituency building effort, the network also extended its OJT program for students. The program provided opportunity for one senior college student from University of Asia and the Pacific (UAP) to participate in the creation and evaluation of non-traditional educational programs and modules focusing on leadership development of POs and NGO leaders.
3rd Asian NGO Leaders’ Dialogue
The network also continued its role of catalysing fellowship among Asian rural NGO leaders through the third Asian NGO Leaders’ Dialogue (ALD) that was conducted last February 2006.
While striving to address the technical requirements of responding to globalization issues, the 3rd ALD maintained its effort to balance the design of the activity to include sessions aimed at nurturing the capacity of NGO leaders to reflect and look within themselves on how their own exercise of leadership helped in promoting sustainable development at all levels – personal, family, organizational, society level. It was also an opportunity to review the emerging NGO leadership principles and framework, which was initially crafted in March 2005. The leadership framework hopes to be a living document that will embody significant guideposts for NGO leaders.
Organizational Development for DHRRAs and AFA
Year 2006 was an opportunity for secretariat staff to apply and share knowledge and skills in participatory PIME, Financial Management, and Sustainability Building through conduct of trainings and coaching to DHRRA members.
Accompaniment to members was primarily focused on the Mekong cluster (VietDHRRA, ThaiDHRRA, CamboDHRRA, LCDA). Technical assistance was provided particularly in project proposal development and resource mobilization. ThaiDHRRA has by year-end around $19,000 for two projects from two donors (SEACA, OSI).
Commitment to Autonomous PO Building
Sustained network’s commitment to ensure its members’ relevance vis-à-vis PO building and sustainable rural development was highlighted through the conduct of a regional workshop focusing on case studies on NGO-PO partnership models. It was an important forum to define the level of partnership between the DHRRAs and their strategic PO partners. The result of the workshop served as an entry point for continuing dialogue at the country between DHRRAs and their PO partners.
Network Development and Management
Full support for the 5-year Strategic Plan
The year 2006 saw through the culmination of defining AsiaDHRRA’s direction for 2006-2010. The 6th General Assembly (GA) in June gave full support to the Strategic Plan after deliberations to finalize the objectives, output indicators and strategies. This process of more than one year marks the mature governance processes of the network that put premium to the meaningful participation of members and core stakeholders. The leadership of AFA took part in the deliberation of AsiaDHRRA’s strategic agenda to ensure that it will fully support their own thrust of empowering the small farmers movement. Donor partners and regional CSO colleagues were also enjoined to critique the plan thus benefiting from rich perspectives outside the network.
With the mandate from the GA secured, a program of action was developed to facilitate internalization of and action by the members in achieving the targets in the course of their respective work. Mobilization of resources for a regional program was started to ensure that there is comprehensive response to the challenges identified in the coming years.
The newly elected members of the Executive Committee went through a detailed discussion of the strategic plan in December to identify immediate priorities for 2007. They also identified and agreed on their respective anchoring roles, given their own and collective assessment of where they could contribute best in achieving the 5-year agenda based on their experiences, strengths and interest.
A Stronger Stakeholder base
The full participation of all members and the active support of host DHRRA Malaysia, financially and logistically, made the successful conduct of the 6th General Assembly in June 2006, in Malaysia possible. The chosen theme for the biennial gathering, “Roles NGOs and POs in Sustainable Rural Development: Models of NGO-PO Partnership” proved to be very relevant to all members and partners.
It is AsiaDHRRA’s belief that the common bond among the DHRRAs is their direct work and relationship with grassroots organizations. The compelling need to reflect and re-assess the match between the ideal commitments and the actual work on ground made the theme of great significance to AsiaDHRRA. A framework to guide both POs and NGOs in their journey as partners came out of the process. This will serve as guidepost to the DHRRAs and their partner POs and hopefully to other CSOs committed to the genuine empowerment of basic sectors. The same is also deemed instructive for donors in ensuring that the CSOs and programs they are supporting share the same agenda.
A dynamic and well-prepared AsiaDHRRA Leadership
AsiaDHRRA’s bias for second line leadership along with the ExeCom processes the past years of consciously preparing new generation leaders facilitated the turnover with full confidence and trust from the membership. The election results and process showed the pro-active effort of AsiaDHRRA to ensure its stability by institutionalizing leadership succession. The new ExeCom, which has a four-year term from 2006-2010, is well balanced in terms of expertise, diversity of experience and gender.
Corollary to the above, Leadership Sessions were conducted in 2006 with the participation of both outgoing and incoming network leaders. The 1st Leadership Development Session in December with the new ExeCom was a crucial activity for the network to set the tone of the collective leadership in relation to the strategic and operational thrusts of AsiaDHRRA. The baseline of individual and collective leadership approaches and trends generated during the session will be useful not only in tapping optimum participation of the leaders in AsiaDHRRA but also in charting their leadership development that is crucial in the next four years of direct service to the network.
In general, governance activities, such as regular ExeCom meetings, secretariat assessment and planning, and regular feed backing were done in aid of effective and efficient operations.
Partnerships at the Global Front
In 2006, AsiaDHRRA and WRF continued to strengthen its bond. AsiaDHRRA shared its perspectives and tools on how to direct and manage a regional partnership. Its participation in the 3rd WRF Congress in October 2006 in Basque country also allowed AsiaDHRRA to help in shaping WRF’s direction and role as a global partnership body of CSOs. In December 2006, the AsiaDHRRA ExeCom approved the proposal for the network to become a formal member of WRF for long-term cooperation and solidarity.
AsiaDHRRA’s consistent work with farmers groups earned for it significant participation in IFAD’s strategic initiative of catalyzing the Global Farmers Forum (GFF). AsiaDHRRA and AFA pro-actively engaged IFAD to translate into concrete program the commitments and mandate generated during the 1st GFF in February.
AsiaDHRRA likewise moved towards understanding more the challenges and opportunities of working with European CSOs, especially those helping protect farmers rights and livelihoods. This was seen as high time in the context of the growing interest of the European Union in ASEAN, which could have both positive and negative implications. This effort was made possible with the support of Collective Alternative Strategies (CSA), a Belgian think tank NGO which anchors their policy work on direct and genuine partnership with farmers organizations. CSA hosted a visit in October and introduced AsiaDHRRA and AFA to like-minded potential CSO partners in Belgium.
Meanwhile, at the regional level, AsiaDHRRA sustained its engagement with the ASEAN. Meetings were held with ASEAN Secretariat offices on pending cooperation (SEARDA, mid-term regional cooperation to strengthen farmer organizations in Asia).
AsiaDHRRA also mobilized its Southeast Asian members to participate in the 2nd ASEAN Civil Society Conference held in Cebu, Philippines in December. This is the hope that the members start to think about and act on ASEAN as a potential platform for their advocacies on specific issues.
The network ‘s membership with the Southeast Asian Committee on Advocacy (SEACA) helped member DHRRAs get the opportunity to participate and to anchor SEACA-supported national consultations about ASEAN. Its leadership role in SEACA helped in seeing through the maturity of the governance processes of SEACA as an organization that has its origin as a CSO program on advocacy capacity building in the region.
The FAO linkage was given a fresh start with two strategic FAO supported and hosted events attended by AsiaDHRRA The linkage proved to be useful in generating relevant information especially in the area of strengthening marketing initiatives of partners.
In 2006, AsiaDHRRA supported a pilot initiative to strengthen relationship between Philippine and Japanese NGOs working in the Philippines through the Philippine NGO – Japan Partnership Mechanism (PJP). PJP is strategically directed to the advocacy of a more progressive and innovative mode of channelling Japanese ODA in the country. It anchored the fund raising to enable PJP to conduct a research on existing NGO-managed funding facilities and on the existing Japanese Embassy grant facility aid of its advocacy of a new ODA flow. Lessons from this pilot could be shared to other Japan aid receiving Southeast Asian countries.
AsiaDHRRA also assisted the International Center for Transformative and Ethical Governance (InciteGov), a newly founded NGO working in Asia, in mobilizing funds for a two-country program on leadership development (cross-overs from civil society to public service and vice versa). AsiaDHRRA sees this partnership as a new learning ground and platform to advance its own leadership development program.
Enhancing Organizational Systems
Core to AsiaDHRRA’s success is having a capable human resource pool to do the job in the secretariat. Hence, in 2006, it continued to provide staff development opportunities for its own people in the course of their work and as programmed by them. The staff development needs were drawn from their self-development baselines drawn and reviewed during leadership sessions. The core program staff members participate in the regular leadership sessions for the ExeCom. The staff finally managed to have a real rest and recreation break in May allowing time for undisturbed rest and team building interaction.
By year-end 2006, the ExeCom approved an upgraded Salary Structure. The new structure was developed following new statutory wage rates in the Philippines and was based on a recent survey of salary scales of some regional CSO. The new scale is believed to be just and competitive and should serve as motivation for the secretariat people to deliver the best for the organization in the coming years. Other HR guidelines (e.g. performance management, appraisals tools) are due for development and review in 2007.
As in the past years, AsiaDHRRA was able to promptly comply with the reporting requirements of its donors and stakeholders. Financial and Administrative reports were submitted to all stakeholders, including compliance to new statutory requirements.
