The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Advancing Communication and Media for Development - Consultation - Middle East and North Africa

2 comments

Many best wishes and much support for your very important work.

UNICEF (Through Rafael Obregon, Chief, C4D), The Communication Initiative and other organisations are working togther to develop a possible global mechanism to help advance the impact, scale, contribution and influence of the communication and media development, social and behavioural change field of work. You can find a summary outline of this initiative at this link along with some comments from the network.

We are presently undertaking a series of consultations in order to gain the insights, analysis and ideas of people across this field of work. With guidance and support from Vincent Petit
Regional Adviser, C4D, UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, there will be a skype conference call consultation for people and organisations in the Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday 14th March at 4pm Amman time. We would very much welcome your involvement and contribution. If, on reviewing below and reading the background information on the links, you do wish to participate please let me know and I will provide the skype conference call connection information.

Purpose of the call: We are very interested in hearing your perspectives on your most pressing communication and media development, social and behavioural change priorities, that you would like to see addressed at the global level in order to facilitate more effective action related to your goals in your context.

Outline of this initiative: There is a brief orientation to this possible global mechanism initiative at this link. It provides the background and purpose for the process.

Focus areas for the call: The main questions on which we wish to ask and hear your insights, analysis and proposals are:
     

  1. What priority goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a possible mechanism?
  2. What strategic approach should such a possible mechanism take to work towards those goals?
  3. How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?

Preparation for the call: Can we please encourage you to:

  • Complete the brief survey at this link. The data and ideas that are collected through this survey are really important for the overall process. (Please feel free to ignore the couple of The CI specific Qs at the end if you wish!)
  • Join this Group It will join up the various consultations that are taking place. But more important it provides a place for written comments and ideas. 

Many thanks for considering. We very much hope that on review of the focus of this initiative you will join the Middle East and North Africa consultation on Tuesday 14th March from 4pm to 6pm Amman time. Very much look forward to learning your insights and perspectives from your context and experience.   Please do reply by email with any questions or issues that you wish to share and your confirmation if you can join the consultation call.

Best wishes

Warren, and on behalf of Rafael

Warren Feek
Executive Director
The Communication Initiative
Phone - 1–250-658-6372
Cell - 1–250-588-8795

Comments

Submitted by Warren Feek on Mon, 03/13/2017 - 14:21 Permalink

Best wishes. This is a quick reminder and prompt re the Middle East and North Africa focused conference call, Tuesday 14th March at 4pm Amman time, on the possible Global Mechanism to strengthen communication and media for development, social and behavioural change. We are very interested to learn from your perspectives, analysis and ideas rooted in your work in your context and very much appreciate you taking the time to contribute your invaluable insights, analysis and ideas on the communication and media for development, social and behavioural change mechanism that is under consideration.

The original note outlining this initiative is in this thread.

Below is more information, including the agenda and relevant links.

The conference call will take place on Tuesday 14th March at 4pm Amman time.

If you have not already done so please confirm your attendance by reply email (with many thanks if you have already confirmed).

For The Skype connection to this call please click this link

If that link does not work then please access this link for details on joining a Skype Business Conference call as a guest

We suggest that you try to connect 10 minutes before the call is due to commence in case there are any issues to work through

Please do complete this brief survey at this link as it will provide very important information for the planning of this possible mechanism. With many thanks if you have already completed. (With thanks if you have already done so.)

Also would be excellent if you could join this Group to become part of the broader community of people engaged in this process.

There is a brief orientation to this initiative at that link. It provides the background and purpose for the process.

As this conversation will take place through skype conference, in addition to the voice discussions it will also be possible to ask questions and share ideas through the type chat facility.

The AGENDA for this call follows:

AGENDA

4-00pm: Opening and welcome by Vincent from UNICEF MENA

4-05pm: Opening comments and a brief overview from Rafael Obregon, Chief, Communication for Development, UNICEF NY

4-15pm: Beginning of the facilitation of the meeting by Warren Feek, The Communication Initiative

4-15pm: Clarification questions - an opportunity for people to ask any clarification questions. (If you can submit these in advance through this group that would be excellent - thanks.)

4-45pm: Priorities - From your perspective and context what should be the main priorities for any global mechanism?

5-15pm: Strategies - What is your advice regarding the best strategies that should be pursued in relation to the priorities that you have identified?

5-45pm: Structure - In your opinion how should any global mechanism be structured? What strategic and organisational principles need to be followed?

6-00pm: Meeting close

Many thanks again to Vincent Petit, Regional Adviser, C4D, UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, for his support with this initiative.

Thanks again - looking forward to learning from you on Tuesday, 14th March. Please do send by reply email any questions that you may have.

Warren, and on behalf of Rafael Obregon (Chief, C4D at UNICEF New York)

Warren Feek
Executive Director
The Communication Initiative
Phone - 1–250-658-6372
Cell - 1–250-588-8795
wfeek@comminit.com

Submitted by Claire Hajaj on Mon, 03/20/2017 - 15:50 Permalink

4 thoughts for the Global Mechanism Consultation - see this thread also.

1. C4D within countries during humanitarian crises with rapid scale up too often becomes fractured and overwhelming to communities, aggravating trust issues and iinflating response costs. We are still too sector and agency focused, creating our own networks, systems and metrics but rarely asking whether who else might usefully use these networks, whether communication strategies can be usefully combined.

2. Having a structured, coordinated and “ready to deploy” shared network, where we invest in a relationship with the household instead of focusing purely on the programme message, would allow us to a) respond to crises more rapidly and flexibly; b) build trust more consistently; c) serve programme needs more cost effectively.

3. We’re hobbling ourselves to short term programme impact when instead we could be thinking collectively: how do we invest in a strong relationship with our audience? How do we create and foster lasting channels into and out of communities? That’s a particulary critical question in fragile contexts, where access dynamics can shift fast, and where trust can’t be parachuted in when programme goals suddenly need to be achieved.

4. Programme goals in this region (Middle East and North Africa) all come down to human behaviours - to choices people make, paths they choose. We’ve learned a lot from “old skool” campaign approaches in SSA/LCDs - but this is not a SSA context, and here it’s time to get smarter. Yes, we should learn from the long-term brand investment strategies of the private sector, and pool resources to invest together in relationships rather than individually driving our beneficiaries towards selective programmes goals.

Claire