Building your advocacy skills: Guidance on how to use the UHC Day advocacy templates

An effective letter?is both factual and personal, connecting data with stories of lived experience. To make the biggest impact, ensure your letter shows your knowledge of health systems while showing how this issue directly affects you or your community. 

• Consider how UHC can address the issues that matter to you. Remember that UHC intersects with mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equity, climate change and many other issues.  

• Adapt the letter to your country’s context. The template letter highlights several calls to action on UHC that are relevant to all countries and contexts. However, you are welcome to add details about specific legislation or policies relevant to your context and to adjust the policy recommendations as appropriate. 

• If referring to specific legislation or policy, remember to include the exact name or number and explain how and why you want your representative to act on this issue. 

• Ensure that any facts and statistics you use are up to date and from reliable sources. Keep an eye on UHC2030?s Tracking UHC Commitments page for the ACT for UHC dashboard and report, which will be launched in December! 

You can either print out the letter and mail it to your representative or email it. We encourage you to email your letter to ensure a quick delivery and facilitate follow up. 

If you?re sending the letter via email, be sure to: 

• State your intention clearly in the email subject line 

• Paste the content of your letter into the email body 

• CC csem@msh.org?so that it can be counted in the global advocacy campaign and to help us understand your national UHC priorities.? 

Encourage others to join the effort by amplifying your call on social media and across your networks. 

• Add tags to your posts: Tag your decision-makers to make your letter even more visible. Don?t forget to tag @ UHC2030 et @CSEM so we can help amplify it. 
• Make your story visible :?Join our #HealthCostsHurt campaign.?If you have ever been affected by health costs, post a video with your story on social media using #HealthCostsHurt, and tag @UHC2030 and @CSEM2030. Videos are welcome from anyone around the world, whether on behalf of your organization or as an individual. Every voice counts!
• For suggested social media content and visuals, please visit the?UHC Day Toolkit page. 

Following up after sending an advocacy letter to your government is crucial to ensure your message is heard and acted upon. Here?s a detailed guide to help you effectively follow up: 

1. Use multiple channels 
   ??? Email or call to confirm receipt and ask for an update. 
   ??? Request a Meeting to discuss your letter in person or virtually. 
   ??? Engage on social media by tagging the official to raise awareness. Keep it polite! 
2. Engage key staff 
   ??? Contact relevant aides or advisors and build a relationship with them to ensure your message reaches the decision-maker. 
3. Send a follow-up letter 
   ??? If you do not receive a response within a month, send a polite reminder emphasizing the urgency of your request. 
4. Attend public events 
   ??? Attend town halls or public meetings to raise your issue directly with the official. (Refer to the statement template and guidance below.) 
5. Track progress 
   ??? Monitor actions and follow up again if there?s no movement on the issue. 
6. Stay respectful but persistent 
   ??? Always maintain a respectful tone but keep following up until you get a response. 

An effective statement is both factual and personal, connecting stories with data. To make the biggest impact, ensure your statement shows your knowledge of health systems but also states how this issue affects your life. 

Adapt the data to your country context 

• The statement template highlights several calls to action on UHC that are relevant to all countries and contexts. However, you are welcome to add details about specific legislation or policies relevant to your context and to adjust the policy recommendations as appropriate. 

• Remember to include the name or number of the proposed legislation or policy and explain how and why you want your representative to act on this issue. 

• Double-check the facts and statistics you used and make sure they?re up to date and from reliable sources. 

Once you have delivered your statement, email csem@msh.org so that it can be counted dans the global advocacy campaign and to help us understand your national UHC priorities. You can also send us your statement in advance and let us know when and where you plan to deliver it. 

Complete this short google form to let us know where you delivered/ where you plan to deliver your statement. This will help us map out key events/ forums at all levels to ensure coordination of the UHC movement.

Encourage others to join the effort by amplifying your statement on social media and across your networks. 

• Add tags to your posts: Tag your decision-makers to make your statement even more visible. Don?t forget to tag @ UHC2030 et @CSEM so we can help amplify it. 
• Make your statement visible:?Record yourself reading your statement in a video and post it on social media. If your statement is about the impact of health costs on people?s lives, add the?#HealthCostsHurt?hashtag and tag @UHC2030 and @CSEM2030.? 
• For suggested content and visuals, please visit the?UHC Day Toolkit page. 

Following up after delivering a statement is key to ensuring your message leads to action. A well-timed statement should be part of an ongoing advocacy effort, not a one-time event. 

1. Sustain engagement: 
   Reinforce your message through media (refer to the media release template and guidance below), social media, and community channels. Share highlights from your statement using key campaign hashtags to keep visibility high and engage wider audiences. 
2. Engage decision-makers and allies: 
   Reach out to government officials, advisors, or parliamentary committees who were present ? or who are relevant to the issue ? to thank them for their attention and offer to share additional information or solutions. 
3. Leverage public platforms: 
   Continue raising your message in follow-up forums, such as national consultations, health policy dialogues, or upcoming UHC-related meetings. 
4. Monitor and respond: 
   Track commitments or policy developments related to your statement and respond publicly or through advocacy networks to acknowledge progress ?or urge further action. 
5. Be respectful but persistent:?Maintain a constructive tone and steady presence. Consistent, respectful engagement builds credibility and keeps UHC priorities on the agenda. 

Customize your media release to reflect your country?s health priorities, your organization?s work, and community perspectives. Include compelling local data or personal stories that bring UHC to life. 

Send your release to local and national mediune outlets, journalists covering health or social issues, and relevant stakeholders. Let us know once it?s shared by emailing CC csem@msh.org so we can feature and count your efforts in the global advocacy campaign. 

Share your media release and key messages on social media. Tag journalists, organizations, and the #UHCDay campaign to increase visibility and engagement. 

Remember to tag UHC2030 and CSEM so we can amplify your efforts.

After distribution, follow up with journalists to encourage coverage or interviews. Keep the conversation going by sharing updates and stories of impact to sustain media interest in UHC beyond the day itself.