Development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Avian Influenza Toolkit

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The Avian Influenza (AI) Toolkit, which was developed by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) in collaboration with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG), is available online. The AI Toolkit aims to collate the product of substantial global activity against the threat of H5N1 avian influenza into a comprehensive and accessible resource. It incorporates management guidelines, information resources, case studies, and examples of practical tools used by countries around the world, which are being shared in the hope that they may assist others to implement strengthened animal disease preparedness and response measures.

The Toolkit is designed to evolve with country experiences, policy directions, and technical advances. As such, countries, international organisations, and others are invited to actively contribute to the Toolkit, and consider using the site for the promotion and dissemination of new materials relating to avian influenza or other emerging infectious diseases.

Topics include:
Biosecurity Preparedness Planning Vaccination & Diagnostics Building & Maintaining Commitment Assessments Surveillance - Detect, Confirm & Report Social & Economic Issues Emergency Response Public and Private Sector Partnerships Communication One World, One Health Regional & Global Collaboration