HAND for more and better aid through more and better advocacy

Total Costs: 60.142 euros
Request from Fund: 43.342 euros

Presently in Hungary, development cooperation, whether or not in relation to the EU Development Cooperation is not a priority whether in the sphere of international relations, local or EU politics. This apathy is supported by the statistically-proved low level of support for development cooperation among the Hungarian population. This situation makes it urgent for Hungarian NGDOs to play a proactive role in shaping the Hungarian and EU Development Cooperation Policy.

HAND has maintained as its core objective, from its establishment,  that it will strive to “promote common interests, active cooperation, communication and partnership with governmental bodies, the European Union or international and foreign institutions involved in the area of development cooperation and humanitarian aid” (HAND Statutes). Despite constant efforts in this regard, HAND has not been as successful in this filed of its operation. The two main reasons identified for this failure are:
•    It has limited relations to other government institutions than the MFA, no relations at all to MPs, EU institutions, even to nationally affiliated ones, not to mention the MEPs.
•    Its external communication is non-strategic, reactive, ad hoc and not using the right methods.

The proposed activities of the project focus specifically on these two issues. To begin with, HAND will forge the necessary relationships with the Hungarian decision-makers at the national as well as at the EU level. Furthermore, the development of a communication strategy will enable HAND to sharpen its public relations skills towards acquiring public support for development cooperation.
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To take its advocacy goals further, during the year 2008 and partly for 2009, HAND has defined two main priority areas of work- lobbying for the ODA act and Aid-Watch activities. Besides these two main focal points the WGs of HAND will be given opportunities to formulate policy papers, which is first capacity building in the form of learning by doing and on the other hand they will be HAND positions and outputs of the project activities. These outputs also create occasions for establishing and maintaining the contacts with the targeted decision makers.

EU institutions will be also introduced to the Hungarian NGOs by organising a training and a study tour to Brussels, and by publishing a brief introduction to the institutions. The lack of awareness of the EU development structure also stops the MGOs from actively getting engaged in EU lobby.

The desired results expected are:
•    HAND will forge a working-relationship with the government in the field of international development and in this regard is invited to at least one decision making body as observer. The NGO proposals related to the ODA act are taken into account by the responsible govt. bodies.
•    Hungarian NGOs are acting more as initiator in EU development policy since they are more aware of the EU’s decision-making and management structure in the filed of development.
•    Further steps are taken towards transparent and systematic publication of the ODA statistics. Specifically, the central coordination of the MFA the line ministries provide the necessary data and the figures are easily accessible by anyone though a public source.
•    HAND takes on a more public role.