Leveraging International Lobbying to Advance National Adoption of International Mechanisms

Establishing a Roadmap for Stakeholder Engagement

There were problems of widespread ill treatment and regular torture practices. ALEF worked in collaboration with other Lebanese civil society organizations. ALEF conducted capacity building workshops and awareness-raising activities. Community mobilization actions on the local level aimed to trigger an interest in the subject of torture prevention. These local actions raised awareness at the public and state level. This helped to set the stage and support ALEF’s preparations for the international lobbying campaign.

While campaigning at the local and state levels, ALEF started by drawing a preliminary list of the potential stakeholders. ALEF identified those interested in the area of torture. They identified those interested to work on the Lebanese file at the EU and UN levels. In December 2007, ALEF solicited the input of one of its partners in Europe, the IKV Pax Christi organization. IKV Pax Christi is an expert in the area of European institutions. Representatives of IKV Pax Christi were invited to ALEF’s premises in Beirut, Lebanon. A presentation was made about the functioning of European institutions during the three-day planning. As a result, a list of potential stakeholders was set. A roadmap was created to establish meetings with those stakeholders. Through ALEF, a list of potential UN officials was created with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Beirut.

Lobbying With Stakeholders

After having created the lists of stakeholders to meet, lobbying efforts were deployed. An objective was set to detect the appropriate timing for visiting EU contacts in Brussels, Belgium and UN contacts in Geneva, Switzerland. ALEF found out that a Lebanese delegation was set to meet with the EU in September 2007. This was a follow-up on Lebanon’s agreements under the European Neighborhood Policy framework. Based on that information, ALEF started to contact the different parliamentarians and commissioners. ALEF was able to fix meetings prior to the Lebanese state delegation’s arrival. By meeting with their contacts prior to the delegation’s visit, ALEF was able to advocate for the OpCAT. This increased the chances that Lebanon’s ratification of OpCAT would be on the EU meeting agendas with the delegation.

ALEF was able to conduct a total of eighteen meetings in Brussels and Geneva. Several stakeholders conveyed specific recommendations related to the policies Lebanon should adopt to prevent torture. More particularly, the importance of the Lebanese ratification of OpCAT.

Obstacles and Successes

The main obstacle ALEF encountered was the unstable Lebanese political situation. On two occasions ALEF was obliged to change the period of the campaign. This was due to the security and political situation in Lebanon. Another obstacle encountered was the organization of meetings with EU and UN contacts. It was not easy to arrange meetings with some high-level stakeholders at the European level. This was due to their tight schedules. One way ALEF addressed this problem was to have partners based on-site in Brussels and Geneva. These partners were able to follow up with contacts on a daily basis in preparation of ALEF’s visit.

Lebanon officially ratified OpCAT on December 22, 2008. The success of the ratification process was the result of collective work by many Lebanese civil society organizations. The international lobbying campaign led by ALEF was crucial to raising awareness and pressure on the Lebanese state.

What we can learn from this Tactic:

This tactic draws attention to the importance of timing in the selection of tactics. ALEF’s visit to EU and UN stakeholders immediately before a visit by the Lebanese delegation was crucial. This helped put the issue of the OpCAT ratification on the agenda. This tactic also demonstrates the importance of an effective stakeholder analysis. Identifying potential allies brings support to our cause. ALEF was able to focus their efforts on reaching influential decision-makers. They identified the moment when they could have the greatest impact on their goal. When using an international lobbying tactic, it is very important to consider other events that can maximize your efforts.