Making allies among elites:

RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP making. The friendship may be very temporary or it may prove to be long-lasting, depending on the character of the person allied and on your effectiveness in dealing with him or her. Besides making friends with persons in power, it may be desirable or necessary to make friends with persons who have access to power, or to the information, documents and resources held by local, national or international elites. These persons may be low-level government func- tionaries or simply executive assistants. Some guiding principles in alliance work: 1. Enter into an alliance with other citizens or with elites on the basis of your own power – i.e., the strength of your organization. Strength is not always based on numbers, although this, too, is important. Strength also derives from the commitment you have already shown to struggling for the cause of indigenous peoples or for any just cause, the clarity of your vision or the logic of your political theory, the integrity of your practice, the consistency of your performance. In this strength lies your power to persuade and forge unity. 2. Take into consideration the traits of indigenous relations in your efforts to achieve cooperation and build solidarity. Consider, for example, that: • Indigenous kinship networks are far-reaching; likewise are the obligations attached to kinship. • Even oral pacts or agreements – as long as they have been sanctified or nota- rized by ritual – are strong and binding. • The opinions of elders are respected. • Etc. 3. In entering into an alliance, you should make no compromise as far as basic prin- ciples and the interest of indigenous peoples are concerned. You should be prepared to make a few concessions – such as agreeing to lobby a local government body with a small delegation instead of a mass demonstration. But your concessions should never run counter to what you stand for. 4. Go with understanding and patience. You might sometimes find others exasper- ating – such as when they fail to see your point in a discussion. Try to understand their views and situation. Discuss things with them patiently until you reach an agreement.

III. OUTLINING A CAMPAIGN PLAN

A. Deine clearly:

1.What the issue is, 2.Who are affected by it, 3.How and why they are affected by it and 4.What your stand is.

B. Also deine clearly:

1. What you would like to achieve – i.e. your objective – in campaigning on the issue; 2. What your advocacy calls will be; 201 RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP 3. Who you will address your calls to – government? if so, which branches or agencies or units and officials of government? a corporation? the public? the affected communities? all of the above? If you will address your calls to multiple audiences, define which call you will be addressing to which audience. C. Lay down what steps you need to take in order to achieve your objecive – includ- ing, but not limited to the following: • preparation of information and education materials for affected communities; • information-dissemination, education and consensus-building among these communi- ties; • together with the affected communities, formulation and signing of a statement of position or position paper, or a petition or resolution on the issue; • submission of the statement or paper, petition or resolution to the office of the government branch, agency or unit andor the corporation it addresses, and distribution of the same to the mass media; • an accompanying delegation of community leaders to the said office plus, perhaps, a press conference; • follow up activities, including an audience with government or the corporation addressed by the initial statement or petition, public forums, speaking on the radio or television, mass actions, etc.; • alliance work with appropriate government officials and public figures so that the public figures will help you gain support for your position on the issue, and the government offi- cials will help you get favorable action on your petition; • alliance-building among the various affected communities and with various organiza- tions; • more follow-up activities until you achieve your objective. D. Try to schedule or at least set phases. Be sure to provide for points in ime during which you can sit down to assess the progress of the campaign and work out adjust- ments or follow-up aciviies. E. Lay out your machinery for the campaign. Be sure to specify individuals and groups who will be taking on tasks in: • the production of information and education materials; • information-dissemination, education and consensus-building among communities and the public at large; • mobilization; • alliance work with elites and others who have access to power; • alliance-building among communities and organizations; • secretariat functions, campaign coordination and administration. F. Work out your budget and a sourcing plan, including the allocaion of exising re- sources, the pooling of addiional resources from members of your organizaion and from supporters, further resource-generaion. 202