Communication Strategies of International Cooperation Agencies 1 Keynote Address at the International conference on “Global Dialogue of Agencies and Ministries for International Cooperation and Development” Lima, April 11-12, 2013

Target groups: Why do agencies need communication strategies? What target groups should they address with their communication strategies? Challenges: What are the specific key challenges new agencies are facing in their communication with target groups? Way forward: What are the 3 most important steps new agencies should consider to face the challenges and use opportunities? Three Guiding Questions

Research on Communication Strategies What works in various development settings? Politico-economic analysis Stakeholders analysis and risks assessment Consensus-building on Communication Strategies Participatory approaches to consensus building Finding local partners for consensus building Identifying champions of changes amongst community Capacity Building Building capacity of partners in communication/ou treach Building-in agility in communications teams Developing feedback loops in order to evolve a winning strategy Agenda Setting

Target Groups for Communication Strategies

Target Groups Parliament Government Ministers Standing Committees Heads of Taskforces Civil Service Federal and provincial administration Specialized civil services academies Civil society organizations Non- governmental think tanks Non- governmental implementing organizations Local citizens’ boards Community leaders Business community Champions of corporate social responsibility Social entrepreneurs Media Print and electronic reporting brass Social media and outreach community

Challenges for New Agencies

Challenges Identification of development niche Avoiding multiplicity of similar projects Being innovative in project design Avoid burdening existing local implementing organizations Creating buy- in with national and sub-national governments Developing credibility with communities and related stakeholders

Converting Challenges into Opportunities

Transformational Change Focus on tripartite strategy Supporting government-led policies Empowering non- governmental organizations Branding champions of change Building agility in strategy design Rolling monitoring and evaluation processes Feedback into strategy the ‘what works’ aspect Expediently pilot new designs Experiment new innovations Development 3.0 Avoid one-size- fits all strategy

Thank You