International mechanisms can effectively support national policy changes. The Réseau Amazigh pour la Citoyenneté (Azetta) used international lobbying to promote cultural rights. This helped them to apply pressure on national channels. Azetta, established in 2002, is a network of non-governmental organizations. Azetta works to uphold Amazigh cultural and linguistic rights in Morocco. The Amazigh community faces significant discrimination, particularly in legal and law enforcement contexts. A major issue was the government’s ban on choosing Amazigh names for children. Their efforts led to a change in a discriminatory language law in Morocco. This change now allows citizens to use the Amazigh language when naming their children.
Seizing Opportunities to Advocate for Amazigh Rights
Azetta’s efforts show the benefits of national and international level lobbying. Such coordinated efforts at key moments can increase lobbying effectiveness.
In 2009, Azetta seized on several opportunities. First, they used the opportunity of national legislative elections to advance their recommendations. The network held roundtables and awareness-raising activities. These were well covered by the media. They conducted meetings with the political parties presenting candidates to the elections. Through this participative consultation process, Azetta drafted a recommendations document. They addressed these recommendations to the appropriate governmental authorities. Azetta also took part in a coalition that monitored the elections. This enabled them to issue a report about the elections and the discriminations affecting the Amazigh community.
Second, at the same time, Azetta partnered with the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. They prepared a United Nations shadow report. This reported on the obligations of the Moroccan government under the Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The report was submitted to the UN. This allowed Azetta to attend the CERD’s committee session. There, Azetta was successful in lobbying for concluding observations. This information included the rights of the Amazigh community. This ensured that the issue would be on the agenda for the next CERD committee session on Morocco.
Third, Azetta held a national roundtable in Morocco. They highlighted the CERD committee’s concluding observations. The roundtable raised awareness of these observations. It also put more pressure on the authorities to respond.
Overcoming Challenges to Achieve Results
A major obstacle Azetta encountered was on the internal organizational level. The network lacked the skills to write a shadow report that complied with UN standards. Many of civil society actors were not aware about such international advocacy mechanisms.
Azetta address these challenges through the implementation of capacity building trainings. They engaged with international experts in the field. They conducted several awareness raising sessions on the international advocacy mechanisms. The network was able to address the impact of those weaknesses.
Azetta’s parallel lobbying at the national and international levels achieved results. The Moroccan Minister of Interior lifted the naming ban. This gave Moroccan citizens the right to choose Amazigh names for their children.
Azetta’s success shows how international mechanisms can amplify national policy advocacy. By lobbying internationally, Azetta increased pressure on national authorities, demonstrating how coordinated efforts at both levels can lead to tangible change. This approach can be applied to various contexts, especially where marginalized groups face discrimination. In countries where local advocacy is stifled or ignored, leveraging international platforms like the UN can highlight issues and hold governments accountable. Similarly, integrating media, political engagement, and coalition-building helps maintain momentum and pressure. This tactic is versatile and can be used for issues beyond cultural rights, such as environmental or human rights campaigns.
New Tactics in Human Rights does not advocate for or endorse specific tactics, policies or issues.
