Title of paper

2.4 Remaining dangers

Proliferation of weapons technology to new countries may become a serious factor. There is still substantial illegal/criminal trafficking in nuclear materials, including in nuclear waste.

The weapons arsenals of nine countries listed above constitute a threat to international peace. We should also take note of any expansion of the nuclear energy industry, in view of the links between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.

3. The IAEA

The IAEA is a United Nations agency, called the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is based in Vienna, Austria. It employs inspectors who can travel to a country to check whether they are making nuclear weapons. It supports the idea of ‘peaceful uses of nuclear energy’ – it therefore supports the nuclear energy industry and tends to overlook the links between peaceful and destructive use of the technology.

When the USA accused Iraq of having weapons of mass destruction, the IAEA inspectors went into the country but could not find such weapons.

All member states who signed the NPT have to allow the IAEA inspectors to look around their nuclear energy industry should they be instructed to do so.

The IAEA advises countries on how to set up their nuclear industries, within a vision of tolerance towards nuclear energy. This includes Namibia where the IAEA was very instrumental in helping the country to develop institutions like the Atomic Energy Board and to write legislation like the Atomic Energy and Radiation Protection Act, No. 5 of 2005.

4. Summary

Nuclear weapons were originated less than seven decades ago. They remain a concern for millions of people around the world who fear the power of such weapons of mass destruction. The nuclear arms race was a product of the Cold War, which ended in 1991, just under a quarter of a century ago. Yet we see that the remaining large numbers of nuclear weapons constitute a threat to people all over the planet, but especially in regions of remaining conflict and tension, like the Middle East and South Asia. There is a danger that nuclear weapons may fall into the hands of rogue or aggressive states, or that trafficking may lead to acquisition of nuclear materials by less formal structures. In defending the rights of people and the planet, is it not overdue for a serious call for the abolition of nuclear weapons? If this is to be achieved, how can we argue for the continued ‘peaceful’ use of nuclear energy, when we have so much information about the connections between energy and weapons?

5. Activities, research and debates

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  How can we use the knowledge we have gained to make a safer world for ourselves and future generations?
  
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  How can Africa learn lessons of the nuclear power race?
  
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  Should an agency of the United Nations be supporting nuclear energy use?
  
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  Should all countries have the right to the ‘peaceful use’ of nuclear energy?
  
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  Is uranium a ‘conflict’ mineral, and if so, how could this be controlled?
  

Chapter 4

Rising Awareness of Energy Issues

Advocacy – the Vehicle for Change

By Peik R Bruhns

1. Introduction

Not only in Namibia but globally, energy remains one of the most contentious issues, and whilst green energy has by now found an entrance into policy frameworks, it remains a long walk to ensuring that green energy is sufficiently recognised as an equal source of energy.

Namibia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are mainly coming from the energy and agriculture sector, although the environmental footprint is very small compared to other countries, yet it remains critically important to advocate for the greater recognition and utilisation of the value of renewable sustainable energy source. Currently hydropower, coal and diesel as well as energy imports are the main sources of energy in Namibia, yet wind and sun are available in abundance.

Energy and different forms of energy cannot be viewed without accepting the relevant policy framework. And at the same time acknowledging that reformed and progressive policies need to be advocated for, if an energy crisis is to be prevented and greater financial resources are to be allocated to the introduction of renewable energy such as wind power and solar power to improve energy efficiency.
The objective of this paper is: learning about advocacy – its meaning, nuances, planning appropriate strategies and methods.

2. What is policy advocacy?

There is a tendency to view all of what we do for ‘change’ as policy advocacy – awareness raising, skills building, consciencitisation and organizing. However there is a specific understanding of policy advocacy that needs to be articulated.
Policy advocacy may be explained as the deliberate process of influencing the formulation, modification, altering, implementation and discarding of public policy.

A ‘policy’ is a plan, course of action or set of regulations adopted by government, business or institutions designed to influence and determine decisions or procedures.

‘Public policy’ refers to those instruments and actions adopted by governments, which define the framework within which social actors (and business too) can act.
Advocacy involves delivering messages that are intended to influence the actions of policy makers. Audiences of NGO policy advocacy typically include governments as the local, national and regional level, and bilateral donors (e.g. USAID, GIZ) and multilateral donors (e.g. World Bank, Asian Development Bank).

2.1 Definition

As per wikipedia, advocacy is a process by an individual group, which aims to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organisation undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or polls or the filing of an amicus brief. Lobbying (often by lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on an issue, which plays a significant role in modern politics.
Additionally, advocacy

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  means amplifying the voice,
  
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  usually involves a combination of different strategies for mobilizing support and producing change, and
  
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  attempts to solve a problem step-by-step by getting at its systemic causes and focusing on specific issues.
  

People-centred advocacy:

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  Enables and empowers the marginalized to speak for themselves.
  
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  Aimed at achieving social transformation through the realisation of human rights: civil, political, economic, social and cultural.
  

Rights bases approach:

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  People are not passive beneficiaries or charity seekers of the state or government. The state is bound to guarantee all human rights to all human beings.
  
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  Citizens are the owners of the state. Hence, the state should be transparent and accountable to citizens and defend human rights.
  
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  It seeks to bridge the gap between micro-level activism and macro-level policy change. It stresses a bottom-up approach to social change.
  

Participation:

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  Not a mere strategy to manufacture consent, manipulate consensus or extract cheap labour.
  
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  Principle based on an inclusive moral choice; participation means sharing power, legitimacy, freedom, responsibilities and accountability.
  
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  At the core of the advocacy that we do - there is a learning process.
  

Communication:

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  Advocacy is a communicative act and set of actions that involves communications designed to promote social action.
  
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  Communication is not merely the use of language. It is an attitude, a willingness to share, to learn, to reach out, and to speak.
  
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  The clarity of the message is as important as the choice of medium.
  

Preparatory to launching into advocacy, a foundation needs to be built up of the following elements:

Gathering policy and political information: Before any advocacy effort is initiated it is important to understand how the key institutions work and identify the key decision makers for the issues one would like to address.
Assessing risk: Understanding the socio-political and cultural environment in which the policy operates is important. A benefit-harms approach that encourages advocates being aware of the external environment and the overall impact of programmes is useful to take practical steps that can minimise unintended harms.
Building strategic relationships: Cultivate relationships that could play a significant role in the policy making process. Who do policy makers turn to for advice? What sources of information do policy makers trust? Who are the key actors in the sector? Networks and coalitions are excellent opportunities to discuss and find partners in advocacy.
Establishing credibility as an advocate: When others respect, trust and value what you say you will be recognized as a spokesperson on behalf of the others. Experience has also shown that when advocacy is grounded in fieldwork the effort has been most recognized and respected.
Linking advocacy to programme priorities: There should be a clear connection between the policy work you plan to do and the existing programmes and staff capacities. There should be support within programmes for the advocacy issue. To be effective, strategies both in community organizing and policy advocacy should go hand in hand, they are inter-related and complementary.
Maintaining focus: Since realising policy change is usually a prolonged process the issues should be clear and prioritised, enabling advocates to stay focused.