Issues Advocacy

Making the case where policy is made

Some problems can't be solved in a newspaper. They're solved in a select committee, a ministry, a UN working group or the office of an adviser who has never heard of you.

We help clients make their case to decision-makers in London, Brussels, Geneva, Washington and capitals across the Global South. That means understanding who holds power on an issue, what they need to hear and who they'll listen to, then building a campaign that reaches them from several directions at once.

Why meetings alone aren't enough

Plenty of consultancies can fill a diary with meetings. But a meeting with a parliamentarian who has read nothing about your issue, heard nothing from constituents and seen nothing in the press rarely changes anything.

Policymakers move when an issue is visible, credible and backed by people they respect. That takes evidence, media attention, public support and allies, all working together.

How Parley is different

We run the whole campaign, not just the meetings. Our research gives you the evidence. Our media work makes the issue visible. Our digital campaigns show public support. Our public affairs team puts it in front of the people who decide.

We've run advocacy on land rights, press freedom, political detention, investment disputes and election integrity, from Westminster to West Africa.

What’s included

  • Political and stakeholder mapping
  • Policy research, briefing papers and evidence reports
  • Parliamentary engagement: briefings, written questions, APPGs, committee evidence
  • Engagement with government, embassies and multilateral bodies
  • Coalition building with NGOs, academics, business and diaspora groups
  • Opposition research and narrative analysis
  • Field work and on-the-ground partner networks
  • Integrated media and digital support for every advocacy push

How we work

  1. Map.

    Who decides, who influences them and what they currently believe.

  2. Build the case.

    Evidence, messages and credible messengers.

  3. Surround the issue.

    Media, digital, allies and direct engagement, timed together.

  4. Hold the gains.

    Follow-up, monitoring and keeping the issue alive.

Questions we’re often asked

Are you registered lobbyists?

Where our work requires it, we register on the UK Register of Consultant Lobbyists and the EU Transparency Register, and we declare clients accordingly.

Do you work outside the UK and EU?

Yes. We have run campaigns aimed at the African Union, the UN Human Rights Council, the US Congress and national governments in Latin America and Asia.

Can you represent foreign governments?

We assess each case individually and publish our policy on state clients. We don't work for governments that jail journalists or suppress peaceful opposition.

Need to reach the people who decide?

Most of our work starts with a quiet call before anything reaches the press. Tell us what's happening. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help.

Talk to us