Reporting frame condition indicators
What is a Frame Condition
Number of initiatives established or supported… are counted under the “frame condition” indicators. In the context of advocacy and policy dialogue, ‘initiative’ can be used as another word for ‘campaign’, i.e. a systematic, mid- to long-term engagement by a project, its partner organisation(s) or a network/alliance on a specific issue of concern, with the aim to make a specific change happen. An initiative (or campaign) is usually a systematic, sequential combination of activities, efforts, and events contributing and leading towards a defined objective, such as a legislative or regulatory change, a targeted budget allocation, a re-allocation of public subsidies, and the like. An initiative can be owned or carried by a single organisation / entity such as a project, CSO or business association. In most cases, however, it is a combined effort of several partners and stakeholders who jointly plan and launch an initiative as a network, alliance, or multi-stakeholder initiative, striving for the same change. A HELVETAS project can play different roles with regard to an initiative, and roles can also change over time as an initiative evolves. We can co-launch an initiative at its forefront, but we can also support and push it from behind the scenes, as a facilitator, door opener, enabler (through funding, networking, strategic support and the like).
Initiative examples
In Kyrgyzstan, a HELVETAS project helps to establish and supports a local group of farmers who jointly lobby the parliament to change the law on local self-government. The HELVETAS project mainly facilitates, helps to build skills, and funds certain activities, while itself remaining in the background. This whole engagement – a multi-year effort combining background research, field excursions, media work, roundtables, parliamentary lobbying etc – can be seen as one single initiative.
In Serbia, a HELVETAS project supports several CSOs in their own advocacy efforts, through capacity strengthening and targeted funding for their – sometimes individual, sometimes joint – campaigns. Every single of these campaign can be considered an initiative.
In Laos, HELVETAS is a funding partner of the Land Information Working Group (LIWG), a multi-stakeholder platform jointly advocating for secure land rights for smallholder farmers. While the LIWG itself is an actor, not an initiative, the campaigns it launches can be seen as initiatives.
In Switzerland, HELVETAS is part of several policy networks and alliances, such as the Corporate Justice Coalition. While the membership itself must not be counted as initiative, the campaigns launched by the coalition can be seen as initiatives (in this case a public sensitisation campaign, and, from 2025 onwards, a constitutional referendum).
What is NOT an initiative
Organising a roundtable with decision makers
Publishing a policy brief
A single meeting with CSOs
One public sensitisation event
A newspaper article
These can all be elements of an initiative, but they are not considered an ‘initiative’ on their own.
Reporting Frame Condition Indicators
When reporting on these indicators, include the total number of initiatives established or supported to strengthen policies, norms, or standards in that year (in many cases, this will be just one initiative per project). Each initiative should be counted only once per project, unless it undergoes a significant change.
If an initiative receives further support in later years, it should NOT be counted again every year it is supported. This is to ensure there is not double counting.
Alongside the frame condition indicators for each working field, a cross-cutting outcome indicator tracks the number of successful initiatives. By combining these figures, we can also calculate the proportion of initiatives that have been successful.
All frame condition indicators are disaggregated on one side whether iniatives were supported/established at national, regional, and local levels, as well as by whether they were supported or established by HELVETAS.