The various sources available to the Committee of Experts to be used in assessing the level of compliance of each country with the Mechanism (country reports, civil society reports, etc.) are a single source of information for civil society to promote reform in the countries. As such, supplementing this information with an effective lobbying strategy will be necessary.

The steps that must be taken to plan a successful lobbying strategy within the framework of the anticorruption conventions are included in the Guide “Anticorruption Conventions in the Americas: What civil society can do to make them work”

A number of lobbying approaches exist, and the focus chosen will vary for each country, group, and issue. Several examples taken from the Guide include:

1. Identifying key stakeholders
2. Identifying key issues
3. Identifying messages and audiences
4. Identifying key dates
5. Identifying key allies

To lobby the implementation of the IACAC, civil society organizations must first evaluate in what areas the national system could be improved in order to meet the standards and requirements set forth in the OAS Convention and define areas of priority.

Priorities will often have to be set in order to achieve effectiveness. For example, although domestic legislation is lacking in many areas, key areas can still be assessed: perhaps government procurement processes in one country are particularly inefficient and highly vulnerable to corruption, and in this case, this matter would be a key area in which evaluation and reform efforts should be focused. In this case, obtaining information on the perceived level of corruption is highly advisable, although obtaining information on the levels of risk and the performance of state institutions in executing government procurement efforts is even more so. The general information will need to be coupled with specific information that describes the procurement mechanisms used, efforts undertaken, and public resources involved, as well as results obtained. If the OAS recommendations are used, the efforts undertaken by the organizations will consist primarily of detecting which recommendations are key to pushing such efforts to new levels. The advantage offered by the OAS recommendations is the fact that they are specific measures issued by an international organization, and therefore their use in any signatory party of the Convention does not require any further justification.

In order to lobby for implementation and follow-up efforts, it is advisable to identify who the key stakeholders are in the decision-making processes. Depending on which phase the Convention process and the political system of the country is in, these can include, among others, the president or primer minister, the cabinet or the legislative branch. Other government officials who could perhaps have a direct or indirect influence on the implementation processes include the minister of justice, finance and foreign affairs, as well as officials who work closely with such agencies on relevant issues, such as anticorruption and ethics offices, general comptroller offices and others responsible for state reform processes.

Identifying the stakeholders who can help push the process forward and attempting to collaborate with them in order to exert influence on the drafting of bills, regulations, policies and practices is recommended.

The question is: What can persuade our audience to take desired action? Adopting a pro-government position may prove proactive in certain countries and in terms of certain topics. In such cases, CSOs may perhaps prefer to concentrate their efforts on individuals who have decision-making power, sending them specific messages. In other countries or for other topics, it may be necessary to publicly challenge government leaders. In this case, organizations may seek to mobilize citizens by way of the media or public education programs.

Once civil society organizations have identified key players in the Executive and Legislature, in conformity with the aforementioned, they must determine the best way to ensure their issue remains at the forefront of the agenda of the individuals identified.

A. Direct communication with the Executive and Legislature by way of meetings, letters, telephone calls, etc.

B. Working with the media can be one of the most efficient ways to ensure the message gets across. Presence in the media can be achieved by way of: Press communiqués, press conferences, the publication of reports, letters to the editor…

The CSOs must also keep in mind the special occasions that represent opportunities to exert influence at the national and international levels. Such occasions include certain days when the media is particularly interested in news related to global anticorruption efforts: 9 December, International Anti-Corruption Day, is a perfect example of such.

For more information and to learn about what steps are vital to securing media coverage and cases of lobbying organizations, access the Guide “Anti-Corruption Conventions in the Americas: What civil society can do to make them work”

If the scope of the conventions and their degree of implementation is disseminated, a wide range of CSOs and private entities will be able to identify advantage points for their cause. Examples of civil society networks and coalitions campaigning abound in the anticorruption field. Potential allies include organizations that work in: human rights, environment, access to information, public budget oversight, corporate social responsibility, health and education, inter alia.