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LEARNING NOTE 2 Building, Strengthening and Mobilising Platform Membership to Support Policy Co-Implementation

LEARNING NOTE 2: BUILDING, STRENGTHENING AND MOBILISING PLATFORM MEMBERSHIP TO SUPPORT POLICY CO-IMPLEMENTATION KEY MESSAGE: A platform’s ability to support policy co-implementation depends directly on the composition and strength of its membership. Therefore, it is critical to cultivate a diverse, engaged member base and to invest in its capacity.

CO-AUTHORS: Charisse Griffith-Charles (CPLA); Kate Chibwana (NLC Malawi); Frédéric Djinadja (NLC Togo); Doreen Nancy Kobusingye (NLC Uganda); Sophea Pheap (NLC Cambodia); Nicolás Avellaneda and Lilian Gregorio (NLC Argentina).

ABBREVIATIONS CPLA

Caribbean Platform of Land Actors

CSO

Civil society organisation

MSP

Multi-stakeholder platform

NLC

National Land Coalition

NGO

Non-governmental organisation



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INTRODUCTION Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) supporting policy co-implementation in land governance are more effective when they have an engaged, diverse and motivated member base. Drawing on the experience of national and regional land coalition platforms in various country contexts, this learning note presents three ways to cultivate an effective member base which includes civil society organisations (CSOs), government officials, private sector actors and representatives from media and academic backgrounds: 1. Building platform membership by seeking out relevant actors and diversifying the member base; 2. Mobilising members through decentralisation and capacity-building; and 3. Sustaining engagement by carefully moderating participation and creating a culture of mutual respect amongst members.

GUIDANCE 1) BUILDING A DIVERSE AND BALANCED MEMBERSHIP To attract the right members, platforms must seek out specific actors while also diversifying their member base. This will ensure that all key stakeholders are represented, with a variety of skills, connections and resources.

A) SEEK OUT RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS Platforms should reach out to potential members with relevant skills and capacities rather than waiting for them to join. This will help to avoid skewed or inappropriate membership, if members are left to join on their own, as well as increase the likelihood of finding, attracting and convincing the most appropriate individuals and organisations to sign up. Experiences from Malawi and Cambodia demonstrate the value of this approach.

In Malawi the platform actively reached out, leading to many promising organisations showing enthusiasm (Box 1). In Cambodia, the National Land Coalition (NLC) organises annual network reflection sessions for NGOs to which both members and partners are invited.

Platforms that engage in policy co-implementation will benefit, in particular, from involving well-chosen government representatives. To ensure that they evolve in step with changing national contexts, platforms can start building connections with prospective government members in both pre- and post-election periods. For example, following elections in Mongolia, the NLC assigned local CSO members the task of regularly meeting with newly

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elected officials. Platforms should also strive to build connections at sub-national level, where government posts may be less frequently affected by election results.

While expanding the platform may seem like a logical step, it is not always the most effective choice. In Argentina, continuous growth of the NLC has led to a situation where it is becoming too big to sustain itself financially. Several platforms have also found that too broad a membership can result in issues of trust and varying levels of commitment among members. Where the threshold lies will depend on the nature of the platform and the context in which it operates. Platforms should therefore determine beforehand which members are likely to best contribute to its long-term effectiveness and should target their efforts accordingly.

Box 1: Member tracking in NLC Malawi When the Malawi NLC moved from policy advocacy to implementation, the platform’s leaders realised that they needed to diversify their CSO-only member base. Internal analysis allowed the platform to identify which stakeholder groups or areas of expertise were under-represented among its members. For example, it found that youth were under-represented, despite them being a target group of the newly agreed policies and the platform’s overall vision. To address such gaps, the platform actively pursued promising individuals and organisations with an offer to join the platform.

At present, NLC Malawi counts various government ministries, development partners and academic bodies among its members, alongside a more diverse group of CSOs. To keep track of its member base, the facilitator created a simple but effective database that lists members’ details, including their capacity strengths and weaknesses. This assists the facilitator in mobilising the organisations that have the best fit for particular projects and helps the platform in applying to funding calls and opportunities. The database also guides an internal peer learning programme in which more experienced members are paired with less experienced ones to co-implement projects. Creating a full circle with the initial internal analysis, this helps to identify new and emerging gaps in skills and resources among the platform’s member base. Finally, the database is used as a reflective tool to track trends in organisations’ areas of interest and to predict which emerging issues they could focus on.

B) DIVERSIFY THE MEMBER BASE

“The diversity of the members of the platform is a great advantage because the same land problem can be analysed from several angles depending on the specialties present in the platform.” – Frédéric Djinadja, NLC Togo The more diverse a platform’s members are, the more skills and resources it will have at its disposal. Diversity in terms of gender, age and socioeconomic background also brings in new perspectives which can help to overcome roadblocks and encourage experimentation with new and promising approaches to policy co-implementation. Furthermore, policy implementation requires the platform to cooperate with stakeholders “on the ground” where policies are being piloted or executed.



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Take, for instance, the Caribbean Platform of Land Actors (CPLA), a unique regional engagement strategy that includes a highly diverse member base with representatives from local, national, regional and global stakeholder groups. The nascent platform has sought to revive existing networks within and across the Caribbean islands. The CPLA provides regional support to autonomous national platforms, which are often too small on their own to achieve a sizeable active membership. As each island has its own nationallevel goals and opportunities, diversity is critical to effective and efficient delivery of such support. The CPLA also has multiple representatives from academia, who bring valuable research skills while also lending the platform credibility.

It is also important to consider geographical diversity within the member base. For example, in Uganda the platform made an explicit effort to reach and include representatives from the country’s most remote and under-represented regions. Having representatives from various constituencies, particularly those that are hard to reach or otherwise marginalised, can also attract government attention. The platform can be one of the few vehicles that exist for effective dialogue with such groups and can consequently become indispensable to government efforts to strengthen policy implementation.

2) MOBILISING MEMBERS FOR IMPACT Having diverse and relevant members only becomes advantageous when their capacities and resources are effectively utilised to achieve the platform’s goals. This can be achieved by decentralising responsibilities within the platform – especially once the membership has expanded –and investing in building the capacities of platform members.

A) DECENTRALISE THE PLATFORM TO DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES Decentralisation can help platforms to delegate responsibilities to members who have the appropriate skillsets to carry out specific tasks. For example, with a core body operating at the national level and several implementing bodies working at the provincial or community level, a platform can gain wider reach and can therefore better support policy implementation efforts. Decentralisation also encourages local members to uncover contextual opportunities and challenges for policy implementation.

In Malawi, the NLC was decentralised so that a significant number of tasks could be delegated to the district and community levels, via members who had a local presence.

This has simplified support for policy implementation and has given members who are active at the national level more space to focus on cross-regional issues, such as the communication of research, conducting multi-regional case studies and resource mobilisation.

In the Caribbean, the CPLA allocates administrative and technical tasks to member organisations that have a solid background working for regional public institutions. As such, the platform can be sure that core tasks are taken care of by experienced individuals.

These representatives are also called upon to articulate potentially controversial requests

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from smaller member organisations. This serves to protect those smaller members from repercussions that representatives of more powerful organisations are less likely to face (Box 2).

Box 2: Creating a safe space for government engagement in the Caribbea Engaging with government can be a sensitive matter when it involves opposing government projects, advocating against policy proposals or pushing for more inclusive implementation. Within a platform too, conflicting political beliefs or ideas about how to approach government can lead to disagreement.

In the Caribbean, the regional platform has put in place a number of safeguards to protect its members and the integrity of the platform, while simultaneously pushing for improvements in land governance. The CPLA deliberately employs a non-political approach to protect its vulnerable members and increase government cooperation.

As a regional organisation with limited influence within individual countries, it seeks to minimise the possibility of putting local activists at risk of political victimisation.

Besides the imperative of member safety, the platform takes into account the security of state representatives, who may be reluctant to participate in meetings for fear of being accused of opposing government policy. While this fear persists, taking a less political stance as a platform reduces perceptions of it being a threat to government and promotes its image as a partner in dialogue.

The platform also encourages a collaborative atmosphere by involving state representatives in discussions and by steering conversations to less politicised topics.

However, internal disagreement still arises among members, as some believe that a more confrontational approach is necessary to generate change. The platform respects the occasionally more aggressive stances of certain national members, but distances itself from such activities to protect its position across the region. Nevertheless, adopting a nuanced stance has allowed it to engage in difficult conversations in ways that previously were unthinkable.

B) INVEST IN MEMBER CAPACITY Delegation of particular responsibilities should not stop a platform from building the capacities of members in other areas as well. A platform that invests in its members is likely to see the benefits of a more highly skilled team.

Such investments can take many forms. In Malawi, the NLC leverages internal expertise to increase the confidence of smaller organisations working alongside more established NGOs (Box 1). Similarly, in the Caribbean several members active at the regional level come from academia and are well-versed in matters such as data collection and project evaluation. This expertise is mobilised to support national-level members that may lack skills in these areas. Among the national platforms, some, such as in Trinidad and Tobago, have more experience with government engagement. Through the CPLA, these platforms can support their less experienced or less resource-rich colleagues, creating an internal peer learning system spanning the region.



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3) SUSTAINING MEMBER ENGAGEMENT “You cannot effectively coordinate members without critically looking at how you communicate among members.” Kate Chibwana, Malawi NLC In addition to mobilising a diverse member base, a platform’s success will depend on how engaged, committed and motivated its members are, and remain. Platforms can sustain continuous engagement by carefully balancing participation by different members and fostering a culture of mutual respect.

A) BALANCE THE PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT MEMBERS Having too many members can result in a platform becoming unable to support individual organisations or sustain itself. One approach to countering this risk is to balance participation, allowing a core group of active members to work with others on a needs basis. For instance, the platforms in Cambodia and the Caribbean region actively differentiate the levels of engagement they seek from their members. Both make effective use of their diverse membership base by utilising specific engagement guidelines for certain stakeholders. These range from the type of meetings they are invited to take part in to limiting speaking time for more vocal members.

For example, the platform in Cambodia distinguishes between full members, honorary members and partners, with each participating to a different extent. As the name suggests, full members are consistently involved and share the same goals as the platform. They attend both regular quarterly meetings and any ad hoc meetings. Honorary members are those who do not have the funds to engage consistently, but who join specific projects on a needs basis. Likewise, partnerships are pursued to tackle particular cases that may fall outside the expertise of full and honorary members. In general, partners do not become members as they may employ an approach to engaging with government that cannot be easily aligned with the platform’s standards.

B) FOSTER A CULTURE OF MUTUAL RESPECT All platforms should aim to create a safe and participatory atmosphere in which members feel respected and appreciated. Key to this is consistent communication and the development of personal relationships, so that members remain motivated and hence engaged.

Consistent communication can help to draw in less engaged members. In the Caribbean, for example, an approach of this type has been central to uniting the different national platforms under the regional umbrella and getting them to engage beyond their individual national remit. The CPLA has even invested in team training aimed in particular at strengthening internal collaboration skills.

Additionally, personal relationships can create a sense of togetherness and mutual learning.

In Uganda, for instance, the NLC facilitator credits much of the nascent platform’s success

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to teamwork (Box 3). The facilitator invests in regular small or even one-on-one meetings with members to track their satisfaction with the platform and their role within it. Such regular meetings help to localise the NLC’s support to its members, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the platform.

Fostering confidence by continually investing in capacities also motivates members. In Malawi, the platform facilitator found that continuous engagement with local actors led to members taking part in all stages of a project, from identifying critical issues to implementing activities and evaluating outcomes. In particular, involving members in evaluation practices indicates a willingness to learn and to improve the platform together.

It underlines that rather than just carrying out platform tasks, members themselves are the platform.

Box 3: Teamwork values in the Uganda NLC In Uganda an emphasis on teamwork has allowed the platform to implement a diverse range of activities in its first active year. Platform members owe this early success to certain principles that have emerged in the course of its work.

Take time to formulate the “NLC feeling”: The Ugandan platform spent five years consolidating its coordination approach before embarking on project implementation.

While the length of the process led to frustrations, it also enabled the platform to hit the ground running when it felt it was finally ready to do so.

Keep everyone in the loop, especially those who appear demotivated: In person, by email or through phone calls – platform leaders strive to keep everyone up to date and engaged by using a variety of communication tools to hold regular consultations. At all times, the Uganda platform adopts an open-door policy, meaning that any member can engage with the secretariat. The secretariat also holds one-on-one meetings with individual members and visits them at their own offices. When a member appears to be less engaged, the facilitator reaches out to try to understand the underlying reasons.

Does the member not feel heard? Is the member uncomfortable with engaging more or are they simply preoccupied? This has all led to a feeling of togetherness and shared ownership.

Give everyone a chance to speak and to be heard: Beyond reaching out to members, they must feel comfortable about expressing themselves. For this reason, the facilitator balances the participation of stronger and weaker members, so that none feel overwhelmed. At times, the secretariat and steering committee will allow meetings to continue until every member has contributed. To prevent favouritism, or fear of it, the secretariat consists of 11 members, making it unlikely that any individual member will face bias. The platform also takes practical steps to ensure that all members can participate. When attendance at virtual meetings was dropping, for example, the platform began to reimburse data costs so that all members could attend. Thanks to this, attendance was restored, and everyone had the chance to be involved again.

Share generously: All these efforts have created a holistic platform where members feel appreciated and therefore also motivated. Consequently, a culture of generosity has taken root, as individual members willingly share funding opportunities and other forms of mutual support with one another.



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CONCLUSION Re-evaluating membership is an area that should not be overlooked when platforms move to policy co-implementation. Membership building “done right” increases the efficiency, legitimacy and overall effectiveness of the platform. It is critical to remember, also, that a platform’s strength is based on the diversity of its members. Individuals and organisations that participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives may share similar ideals but may focus on different goals and may favour different approaches to addressing issues in land governance. A platform should therefore acknowledge and respect members’ individual perspectives and sometimes competing priorities, while pursuing win–win collaborations and aligning efforts for the greater good.

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LEARNING NOTE 2 Building, Strengthening and Mobilising Platform Membership to Support Policy Co-Implementation

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