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. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Artist reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS - Africa

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Nearly 100 journalists, artists, poets, musicians, dancers,composers, filmmakers, documentary producers, writers, advertisers,photographers, and scriptwriters from all over Africa participated in the reversethe spread of HIV/AIDS project. This project was initiated by African artists and media experts in an effort to explored ways of transforming public attitudes to help reversethe spread of HIV/AIDS at a UNDP workshop in August 2003 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Communication Strategies
The participants came from Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland.Of the 42 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, 30million are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNAIDS, and women account for58 per cent of those in the region living with the virus.Organized by the HIV/AIDS Group of UNDP's Bureau for DevelopmentPolicy, the workshop tapped into participants' expertise in producingcompelling images, icons and metaphors to influence public opinion.

It challenged them to use their skills to foster public dialogue on HIV/AIDS andbehaviour that fuels the epidemic. Participants created written, visual, and audio materials on HIV/AIDS themes during the workshop and made a commitment to promoting hope and transformation to achieve results.

Participants recognized the central role of arts and media inbringing about change at all levels of society. They also agreed on theneed to commit themselves to the core values and principles oftransformative leadership to help reverse the course of HIV/AIDS in theircountries.
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS
Key Points
The key aim was to generate positive and empowering images of women and people living with HIV/AIDS.

The participants said the workshop was about finding grounds for transformation at the individual level, and inventing artistic language to communicate and instill in others the meaning and importance of transformation.

"It is in arts and culture that our stories, icons and metaphors arecontained. Media and arts shape our values, attitudes and perception,"said Monica Sharma, UNDP HIV/AIDS team leader.

The organisers hoped that the workshop had offered creative opportunities to enhance people's understanding of the challenges ahead, especially as it pertains to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Partners

UNDP, USAID, UNAIDS

Sources

Gloria Coe, USAID sent an email to The Communication Initiative on September 11 2003