Awareness & Advocacy

Fostering awareness and dialogue on complex issues of sustainable, equitable economic and social development

There is increasing recognition that changes in policies and practices for the benefit of societies throughout the industrialised and developing world rely heavily on policy-makers and stakeholders being better informed and able to participate in substantive dialogue.

TCA has extensive experience in designing an implementing awareness programs. The largest of these is the Water Awareness Program for Asia and the Pacific on behalf of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Since May, 2002, Tim Cullen has been managing the Water Awareness Program of the Asian Development Bank. This is a program that employs a group of consultants, including TCA’s senior associate, Paul Fisher, and is implementing a number of awareness and communications measures to foster support for reforms in the water sector throughout Asia and the Pacific.

The WAP team has implemented a series of nine media capacity-building workshops to help journalists to write more and better-informed articles on water issues. These are organised by Paul Fisher under Tim Cullen’s guidance and the latter moderates the workshops which bring together expert speakers on a range of water issues. A number of other media activities have taken place including the writing and placement of articles in major newpapers and specialised water publications.

Under the program, eight half-hour television films have been made which have been broadcast widely both in the region, and two on BBC World. The films are also being used in community awareness activities.

The program has commissioned a number of Public Service Announcements (television and print advertisements that are broadcast and published free of charge on television networks and in magazines and newspapers).

The program has initiated some project demonstration activities to support ADB technical assistance and projects where communicating with affected stakeholders can contribute to the success of water reform activities.

The program has its own website and publishes a monthly electronic newsletter with a readership in excess of 2,000.

In the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, TCA designed the communications component of the second phase of Power Sector Reform Program on behalf of the UK Department for International Development. This strategy calls for awareness activities and stakeholder engagement to foster dialogue and support for change in the state’s electricity generating company, transmission company and three distribution companies.

TCA is able to design and implement similar programs on behalf of international organisations and governments, bringing together experts from throughout the world in a range of disciplines.

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