A new generation of strategies for government accountability is needed, one that fully considers entrenched, institutional obstacles to change. Vertical integration of coordinated civil society policy monitoring and advocacy is one such strategy. Engaging each stage and level of public sector actions in an integrated way can locate the causes of accountability failures, show their interconnected nature, and leverage the local, national and transnational power shifts necessary to produce sustainable institutional change.
The campaign for indigenous peoples’ rights in the Philippines is both pioneering and long-standing. Indigenous peoples’ claims for self-governance and the use of their ancestral lands has been the driving force of their continuing struggle, which has overlapped with other rights-based campaigns on themes such as the environment, participation in governance, gender equality and peace.
Lessons for vertically integrated advocacy:
- TWLOI recognises that engagement with the government is not limited by the size of an organisation, and that creativity in building vertically integrated networks and identifying strategic partnerships is key to effective campaigning
- identifying and engaging with the right political power at each level of government is important in achieving results.
