In 2023 the Wikimedia Foundation and affiliates engaged in significant policy advocacy activities in order to respond to governments’ desires to hold big tech to account, ensure access to information prevailed during crises, and help inform international organizations that were trying to establish global norms to govern online spaces like Wikipedia. As a result, the Foundation made grant funding available for public policy advocacy, engaged in processes at the United Nations level, and worked closely with movement partners. So what is all this work about? What does public policy advocacy mean? How is it different from advocacy? Who engages in policy advocacy, how, and to what effect?
This panel session will demystify the landscape of public policy advocacy within our movement. The session will start with a concise overview of key priorities and methods from the Wikimedia Foundation. Affiliates from Wikimedia Sverige, Wikimedia UK, Wikimedia Chile, and Wikimedia Ukraine will supplement this overview with detailed, firsthand accounts of their own advocacy work. Their stories will cover emerging trends and provide insights into how the movement can be prepared to face similar challenges in other countries. The core issues discussed will include disinformation during times of crisis, explaining Wikimedia's unique community-led governance model to key stakeholders, protecting Wikimedia in the face of online safety legislations, and showing-up as a defender of the free knowledge movement in discussions about AI. Attendees will learn the types of issues that Wikimedians champion and the multifaceted methods we employ, as well as key trends that we need to navigate in this advocacy galaxy to promote and protect our collective mission.

Session recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/kBr9tNEMA0k?feature=shared&t=4563