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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HIV/AIDS Stand Up for Human Rights Campaign - Global

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On December 10 2003 (Human Rights Day), the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Joint Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a colourful, interactive cartoon for young people that is designed to raise awareness and mobilise action. The partners hope that this cartoon will empower young people to promote human rights in relation to HIV/AIDS,raise awareness of the key linkages between HIV/AIDS and human rights, demystify the disease, and combat the myths and taboos associated with HIV/AIDS.

The cartoon complements ongoing works. On World AIDS Day, December 1 2003, WHO and UNAIDS launched the "3 by 5" strategy. The strategy is the roadmap for providing 3 million people living with AIDS with antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2005. WHO, UNAIDS, and OHCHR are committed to addressing stigma and discrimination as a contribution to the new 3 by 5 initiative. They claim that there is good evidence that the provision of antiretroviral therapy helps address these issues, since people who have the possibility for treatment are more likely to come forward, be tested, and promote more openness about HIV/AIDS.
Communication Strategies
Using language and characters designed to be accessible to young people worldwide, the cartoon explains how HIV is transmitted, and how individuals can protect themselves. The publication begins with a glossary-like explanation of various terms; then 6 diverse characters encounter various situations that test their beliefs and mobilise them to speak out against the stigma and discrimination that impedes discussion of HIV/AIDS and the care of those infected and affected by the disease. This process culminates in the creation and staging of a public demonstration outside a health clinic that has discriminated against an HIV-positive family member of one of the characters. This story sets out to combat HIV/AIDS-related discrimination by illustrating how lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS can contribute to stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations against people affected by HIV/AIDS - for example, on the part of their peers and health professionals. It shows how discrimination based on gender can hinder people's ability to protect themselves from HIV infection and also prevent people from accessing needed treatment, care, and support.

The cartoon is interactive, and is designed to inspire creative youth mobilisation against HIV/AIDS-related rights violations. One page of the cartoon is left blank, save for a character looking directly at the reader and saying "Draw your own poster for a campaign on HIV/AIDS discrimination". Similarly, the last page of the booklet, headlined by the words "Write down your ideas on how you can take action", is a strategy for encouraging advocacy on the part of young readers.

In order to maximise the positive impact ofthis cartoon, WHO, UNAIDS and OHCHR plan to translate, adapt, and distribute it widely and encourage its use as a tool for education and training. Click here to download the English version in PDF format.
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS, Rights, Children, Youth, Gender.
Partners

WHO, UNAIDS, OHCHR.

Sources

Letter sent from Tanya Norton to The Communication Initiative on January 21 2004; and "New cartoon for young people to raise awareness and mobilize action to tackle HIV/AIDS" on the WHO site.