The Communications, Advocacy, and Networking Core Group (CAN) is one of PANE’s four functional Core Groups. The CAN Core Group is intended to work towards institutionalizing the engagement of CSOs in the PASDEP processes with other stakeholders, while at the same time seeking to ensure that policies remain pro-poor.

 

More specifically, it is expected to advocate on various policy issues identified by PANE, and work towards creating enabling conditions for CSOs engagement in the PASDEP through advocacy (media advocacy, lobbying, campaigning, networking, etc…) and through capacitating members in various spheres, including advocacy and networking.

 

The CAN Core Group is currently engaged in preliminary activities to advocate for development issues of paramount importance to the country.

 

After a couple of intensive capacity building trainings on policy advocacy and advocacy techniques conducted successively in 2007, member CSOs from different regional states that participated in the workshops are now engaged in the processes of elaborating a work-plan to implement advocacy works on issues they identified as worth advocating for.

 

CSO members of the CAN Core Group comprise a wide range of organisations, most of which often have sound experiences in communications and advocacy or have strong bases amongst their grass-roots constituencies.

 

The membership of the CAN Core Group comprises national NGOs (Pro-Pride, WISE, NEWA, Pastoralist Forum Ethiopia, the Micro-Enterprises Development Forum, Zega Le’idget, the Guraghe People’s Self-help Development Organization…), international NGOs (OXFAM-Canada, PANOS-Ethiopia, PACT), and faith-based associations (the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat).