Webinar Review: Building High-impact Regional Coalitions.
The recent webinar held on February 25th brought together a powerhouse of animal advocacy and environmental conservation leaders to tackle a critical theme:
Building High-impact Regional Coalitions.
Co-organized by the Animal Protection Organization of Nigeria (APON), the Aquatic Animal Alliance (AAA), and the UNCCD Africa CSOs, the session provided a masterclass in cross-sector collaboration.
Core Leadership & Perspectives.
The event was expertly navigated by a trio of influential voices in the international advocacy space:
Host: Joseph Odika, Founder of APON, set a collaborative tone, emphasizing the necessity of local roots when building global movements.
Moderator: Ellen Otaru-Okoedion, UNCCD Africa CSO Representative, ensured the dialogue remained focused on actionable outcomes and the intersection of environmental policy and animal welfare.
Key Presenter: Catalina Lopez, Director of the Aquatic Animal Alliance, provided the strategic backbone of the session, drawing from her extensive experience in unifying diverse organizations under a singular, high-impact banner.
Key Takeaways.
The discussion centered on the “why” and “how” of regional alliances, moving beyond theory into practical application:
Strength in Numbers:
Catalina Lopez highlighted that regional coalitions allow smaller NGOs to leverage collective bargaining power, making them indispensable partners for international bodies and governments.
Bridging the Gap: A significant portion of the webinar explored the synergy between terrestrial animal welfare, aquatic protection, and the UNCCD’s goals for land degradation neutrality.
Sustainable Growth: The speakers addressed the challenges of maintaining momentum within a coalition, focusing on shared governance, transparent communication, and the importance of localized leadership.
Final Thoughts
This webinar served as a vital reminder that the most pressing issues of our time—from food security to biodiversity—cannot be solved in silos. By integrating the expertise of organizations like APON and AAA with the institutional reach of the UNCCD Africa CSOs, the organizers demonstrated a blueprint for what future advocacy should look like: unified, regional, and relentlessly impactful.
”Coalitions are not just about adding names to a list; they are about multiplying our capacity to effect change on the ground.”