Acknowledging the role of the mass media in shaping and influencing national and regional policy agendas, members of the Women's Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP), attended a capacity building workshop on media advocacy in Goa, India from January 23-27, 2004.Acknowledging the role of the mass media in shaping and influencing national and regional policy agendas, members of the Women's Health Women's Health Definition Women's health is the effect of gender on disease and health that encompasses a broad range of biological and psychosocial issues. and Rights Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP), attended a capacity building workshop on media advocacy in Goa, India from January 23-27, 2004. Ten representatives from WHRAP partner NGOs attended the session which was organised by its regional facilitator, ARROW. Akhila Sivadas from the Centre for Advocacy and Research in New Delhi New Delhi (dĕl`ē), city (1991 pop. 294,149), capital of India and of Delhi state, N central India, on the right bank of the Yamuna River. was the resource person. The workshop was the second in a series of workshops to strengthen advocacy for sexual and reproductive health Within the framework of WHO's definition of health[1] as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene and rights, in particular safe motherhood and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, in the South Asian region. Regional NGO NGO abbr. nongovernmental organization Noun 1. NGO - an organization that is not part of the local or state or federal government nongovernmental organization partners involved in this initiative are the Bangladesh Women's Health Coalition and Naripokkho in Bangladesh, CHETNA and Sahayog in India, the Beyond Beijing Committee in Nepal, and Shirkat Gah in Pakistan. The major thrust of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of the participants to execute media advocacy. WHRAP members, who will carry out evidence-based policy Evidence-based policy is public policy informed by rigorously established objective evidence. It is an extension of the idea of evidence-based medicine to all areas of public policy. and media advocacy as part of this initiative, were exposed to some of the strategies and challenges that media advocates must take on. The importance of using or manipulating existing spaces or creating new ones, making alliances, working in a coordinated partnership, and preparing long-term systematic strategies to place sexual and reproductive health issues on the public domain was emphasised. Participants realised however, that these actions are only building blocks--media advocacy needs to be results-oriented and focus on achieving concrete and "doable" goals and outcomes. WHRAP members have previously attended a capacity building workshop on policy advocacy. They will transfer skills learned to other NGOs and community-based organisations at their respective national levels. Contact: ARROW, Ground Floor, Block G Anjung FELDA FELDA Federal Land Development Authority , Jalan Maktab, 54000 Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (kwä`lə l  m`pr), city (1990 est. pop. , Malaysia. Tel: 603 2692 9913 Email:
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