Chapter 12 — Advocacy Strategies the programme and its findings and recommendations. Programmes also have to choose the actors with whom to issue the report carefully. Joint issuing might be especially problematic when there are tensions between the judiciary and other branches of government. ·· Roundtable events Roundtable events following the publication of reports have been used extensively as mechanisms to expand the reach of reports, as well as to organize a process to implement recommendations. Roundtables organized among a wide range of stakeholders provide actors with information and a forum for discussion, and bring together different institutional and individual perspectives. Organizing roundtables around the findings of the report provides the benefit of a solid foundation of fact to discuss the current situation and from which to begin discussion about reforms. In the OSCE context, roundtables have been organized at all levels of the justice system, from among judges in individual courts to widely attended state-level roundtables, including representatives from all institutions with competency and interest in judicial reform. Further, while roundtables may be used as a discussion forum, they should also aim to obtain commitments from responsible officials to seeing them documented and followed up. In addition to being organized after the completion of a report, roundtables can also be organized prior to the completion of the report, to help formulate recommendations. In this way, roundtables can serve more widely as opportunities to get feedback from various institutions and actors on how to address specific problems. This process may not only help identify workable solutions from the local perspective, but can also create the necessary buy-in of local officials into the reform process, thereby giving them an important stake in the success of the recommendations.179 ·· Press conferences and press releases after issuing reports Press conferences and press releases are methods of raising public awareness about the findings and conclusions of monitoring, as well as about the existence and purpose of such monitoring in the local context. Given the legal nature of reports, both press conferences and press releases should: • summarize the conclusions of monitoring; • avoid technical language; • explain the implications and significance of findings; and • lay out what needs to be accomplished next. Likewise, given that it is unlikely that print and television media will read reports in full, fact sheets should be included with copies of the report to be distributed at press conferences, for later reference and to convey information clearly. The head of an OSCE field operation or head of department may address the media to present the report and represent the organization’s backing of the findings, while the programme manager can delve into the more technical aspects and address any specialized questions from the media. The principal drafters may also be present, to explain any parts of the report or its methodology in response to media inquiries. Consideration should also be given to inviting select members of the government and judiciary who are supportive of monitoring and implementing recommendations to participate in press conferences. Such a step may serve a number of purposes. First, it may enhance the profile of the press 179  This is the practice implemented by the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Coalition All for Fair Trials. Upon completion of monitoring, representatives of government and other involved actors are invited to discuss the findings for the purpose of formulating recommendations. While the drafters retain the right to control the content of the final report, the roundtable provides an important forum for authorities to suggest their own solutions and recommendations to address the issues identified by the monitoring. Such roundtables have resulted in the acknowledgement of systemic conditions, recommendations for further action, and the undertaking of commitments, including the creation of a permanent working group to monitor the implementation of the recommendations. After the publication of the final report, a follow-up roundtable is usually convened to mark the progress of the commitments undertaken by the parties. 121