Strategic Advocacy

At SEEK we believe that effective advocacy requires good strategy, and good strategy is based on thorough analysis of opportunities and risks. We support our clients in developing evidence-based engagement strategies and integrated donor analytics to support their advocacy and resource mobilization. We help them to develop a strategy that is tailored to their needs and to their capacity, to ensure they can implement it successfully. Whether we are asked to develop a global advocacy strategy, design a resource-mobilization approach, or establish and facilitate dialogues with key stakeholders, our goal is to maximize the potential of our clients’ work in every way possible.    

We also seek to improve global advocacy and transparency at large through the Donor Tracker. This is an internet platform created by SEEK that aims to advance progress in global development by providing strategic information and insights into major donors’ development assistance decisions. We are experts on the 14 largest major donor markets and we draw on our global consultant network for insights into country engagement strategies. 

Clients for our advocacy practice have included Aeras; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Financing Facility; the Global Partnership for Education; the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative; the International Rescue Committee; Malaria No More; the TB Alliance; and the World Health Organization.

Strategy Advocacy

GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a global-health partnership that brings together public and private sectors to create equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.

SEEK has been a partner of Gavi for its strategic advocacy work since 2009. SEEK was assigned to develop a strategy for Gavi’s engagement in Germany, to further build Gavi’s relationships with government and other relevant stakeholders, and eventually to increase Germany’s contributions to Gavi. At that time, the German government contributed €4 million per year to Gavi; it was one of its smallest donors.

We faced two main challenges: First, we realized that child health and immunization was not a compelling topic within political debate. Therefore, we focused on creating a dialogue around these issues, working closely with a number of civil society organizations to raise awareness about child health and child immunization. Second, the German government had been abiding by a rule that required them to limit their total contributions to all multilateral organizations, including Gavi, to one third of their development spending. The remaining two thirds had to be spent through bilateral programs. This policy effectively prevented any large increases to Gavi. To overcome this barrier, we supported Gavi in creating a mechanism through which Germany could increase its contributions.

Both efforts helped to mobilize increases in German contributions to €20 million in 2011, and to €30 million in 2012 and 2013, effectively transforming Germany from a small donor to Gavi into a sizeable one. In addition, we supported Gavi in positioning child health on the agenda of Germany’s G7 presidency in 2015. Germany agreed to host Gavi’s replenishment conference, and SEEK supported the development of a replenishment strategy.

SEEK contributed to a successful Gavi replenishment that far exceeded its goal and mobilized more than US$7.5 billion for child immunization. Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the conference and committed €600 million to Gavi – more than 30 times what Germany had contributed back in 2009.  

SEEK contributed to a successful Gavi replenishment that mobilized more than US$7.5 billion for child immunization

Click the link below for further information:

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance