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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EC/UNFPA Asia Initiative - Asia

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This reproductive health programme of the European Commission and the UNFPA in collaboration with 22 European agencies and over 62 local partner agencies started in September 1998. The objective of this programme was to bring together the diversity of expertise and resources offered by civil society organisations. Sustainable alternatives to current systems were created by targeting vulnerable groups at the grassroots level.
Communication Strategies

The main communication strategies involved a series of country-specific strategies adjusted to the varying reproductive health needs and response capacities across each region.
Development Issues

Adolescent and youth reproductive health, women and children, HIV/AIDS, population, health and nutrition, fertility, morbidity, mortality
Key Points

The challenge of attempting to significantly improve the reproductive health status of the vast Asian continent was seen as too great for one organisation, so partnerships and collaboration were made a priority. The countries included in the programme were Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Long term objectives of this programme were to create a multiplier effect on reproductive health initiatives, strengthening local capacity at the grass roots level and complementing efforts at the central level by governments and donors.
Partners



European Commission, UNFPA, international agencies, civil society organisations, ngo's, 22 collaborating European agencies, local partner agencies.

Sources

Background Paper EC support to population, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS in developing countries (1994-1998) pages 2-3