Advocacy Institute supports civil society to drive action on NCD prevention
11th October 2022
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This August, 4 Programme alliances from Ghana, India, Mexico, and the Philippines benefited from the 2022 virtual training of the Advocacy Institute’s NCD Prevention Accelerator Programme. After the training, 94% of the participants felt confident about their knowledge of the global and regional NCD prevention landscape and opportunities for advocacy. “I have gained significant insights that would be relevant in our work here with NCDs in the communities” commented a participant from the Healthy Philippines Alliance.
The 2022 virtual training of the Advocacy Institute’s NCD Prevention Accelerator Programme took place this August. It was attended by a total of 19 representatives from the 4 Programme alliances from Ghana, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. The training aimed at increasing participants’ knowledge and skills for NCD prevention advocacy.
The annual training is a key component of the NCD Prevention Accelerator Programme. Coupled with grants, technical assistance, networking, and peer exchange, this programme looks to increase the capacity of established NCD alliances to drive effective in-country NCD prevention advocacy.
The NCD Prevention Virtual Training 2022 aimed to:
- Increase alliances’ knowledge of the global and regional NCD prevention landscape and opportunities for civil society action.
- Increase alliances’ knowledge of global recommended NCD prevention interventions, frameworks, and financing mechanisms to strengthen their advocacy capacity and strategies, underpinned by a meaningful involvement of communities.
- Increase alliances’ capacities to leverage diverse global frameworks and identify synergies and opportunities to link the NCD prevention and care agendas.
Delivered virtually, the training included three modules on themes related to NCD prevention:
- advocacy for investment in NCD prevention interventions;
- strengthening linkages between NCD prevention and care agendas; and
- leveraging technical frameworks and mechanisms when engaging with national regulatory bodies.
Each module offered recorded expert presentations, advocate conversations, and case study discussions. Expert speakers and advocates were drawn from the NCDA’s global network of national and regional NCD alliances, members and supporters, including representatives of NCD alliances and advocates with lived experience from multiple geographies (Mexico, Ghana, India, Malaysia, and the Caribbean region). Speakers also included leading experts from the Framework Convention Alliance, the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, a health economist, and a former parliamentarian.
Two live sessions were held to stimulate experience sharing and peer exchanges. Through a Creative Lab, participants completed coursework aligned with the training themes and relevant to their advocacy work as part of the Advocacy Institute.
The 2022 training was built on the curriculum of the first training held in 2021, which focused on updating the global and regional NCD landscape, increasing knowledge on the global governance frameworks and opportunities to advance national NCD prevention as well as strengthening skills to leverage opportunities for strategic civil society advocacy.
Overall, 100% of participants rated their experience of the training as good or excellent. After completing the training, 94% of the participants felt confident about their knowledge of the global and regional NCD prevention landscape and opportunities for advocacy, compared to 78% before starting. In addition, 87% of the participants felt confident about using global NCD prevention mechanisms and frameworks, including WHO action plans and technical packages, to frame their national advocacy efforts and strategies, compared to 72% before starting and 7% who were not feeling confident. Similarly, 87% felt confident about their knowledge of various financing mechanisms and how to advocate for the investment in NCD prevention interventions, compared to 72% before starting and 7% who were not feeling confident.
“I have gained significant insights that would be relevant in our work here with NCDs in the communities” commented a participant from the Healthy Philippines Alliance. “[The training] validated that we are on the right track in our advocacy work for our Psoriasis Community and other NCDs that we have embraced to help and support as well.” commented another participant from the Healthy Philippines Alliance. “[The training] provided fresh insights and affirmed many of the initiatives that we are doing now in the community for NCD prevention” a participant from Ghana NCD Alliance added.
Discover more about the Advocacy Institute and the NCD Prevention Accelerator Programme
Participation of alliances in this Programme is possible thanks to NCDA’s partnership with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
