UNICEF, with Rafael Obregon (Chief, Communication for Development, UNICEF New York) leading and The Communication Initiative, through Warren Feek (Executive Director) are holding a series of consultations, to gather views, opinions and ideas on what kind of global mechanism could be helpful for supporting advancements in the scale, sustainability, relevance and influence of programmes, strategies and organisations that develop and implement initiatives rooted in communication and media development, social and behaviour change.
Background
The global development tapestry has seen the growth of a series of such mechanisms seeking to advance particular fields of work. For example, WASH for All; the Global Partnership for Education and, the Global Partnership on Violence Against Children, amongst others.
As we have reviewed these mechanisms it is clear that there are a range of differing goals and roles including:
- Raising technical standards;
- Advocating value and impact;
- Engaging in policy debates and dialogue;
- Coordinating action;
- Accrediting data;
- Expanding funding levels; and,
- Acting as a legitimate global point of contact for policymakers, funders and other major global players in development.
What kind of mechanism - priority, strategy, structure?
The major question for the social and behaviour change, communication and media for development field of work is what kind of mechanism – focus and structure - could help to advance our field of work. Consequently, there will be 3 major themes to the consultation that we will be holding. From your perspective and experience:
- What priority goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a possible mechanism?
- What strategic approach should such a possible mechanism take to work towards those goals?
- How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?
Options paper
The analysis, views and ideas expressed in this and other consultations will feed into an options paper that is being developed. That paper will be the key document for an all-interested-parties meeting to be convened in April 2017 in order to negotiate and agree a way forward.
No duplication!
One quick clarification concerning this process. There is no intention at all to replace any of the present global processes that are active on communication and media development, social and behaviour change within the Development community. The question is whether there is something missing, an important missing piece, that would help everyone.
Please do contribute through the comments process and the planned consultations. We are most happy to answer any questions. And we very much hope welcome ideas, analysis and crituque.
Warren Feek
Executive Director
The Communication Initiative
www.comminit.com
Phone - 1–250-658-6372
Cell - 1–250-588-8795
wfeek@comminit.com
Comments
Standards for Professional C4D workers
Stacey Hillard has raised important issues for the betterment of the field. Unfortunately we are lacking leadership that can take up the challenge. At the global evel there is Intenrational Union of Health Edcators in Paris but hardly noticeable. UN does not support or want a platform either. Wareen Feek is the only one keeping the flame alive somehow. But unless we have a strong Association that advances the cause of the professiona like Physicians, this field will remain in the doledrum. Too bad. The flag is there if someone cares to hold it.
Setting standards
Warren -
This is a great group and I have been following all of the discussions, sorry it has taken me so long to post my thoughts.
There is a real value in a global mechanism for the field - especially if it can set some standards / guiding principles / guidelines etc. Because so many professionals in the field come from different backgrounds, there is a need to have something that creates a common thread in the sector's work, which allows for better evaluation of work and outcomes.
The group must go beyond the UN and must encompass the work funded by bi-lateral donors. Many, arguably most, people working with groups such as DFID and USAID would be pushed to tell you what C4D is, let alone its principles - but they are doing it, just by another name.
Going beynd the UN system, I think, would also help create more uniform definitions within the industry as a whole - all too often when talking with clients, local organisations and donors there are debates caused by terminology being used differently.
This issue with terminology needs to be addressed. We could use better uniformity in branding - are we C4D, BCC, SCC, Community engagement, media development etc? Should we look at something more inclusive such as Communications in Development? Then have the definitions of the different approaches as sub-sectors?
Communications is often see as a "bolt-on" to development projects, especially bi-lateral programmes, and then it is often seen as a webpage, PR, brochures and other branded items. Advocacy on behalf of the sector should be one of the key roles of the Global Mechanism - and having global standards and definitions will aid in this. The global mechanism should be able to educate donors on the technical aspects of communications, how it contributes to impact and sustainability, how it is an integral part of any program and how it creates value-for-money.
The Mechanism has to be inclusive or I just don't think it will work. The Global Mechanism should have some sort of a represenative international working group or council with a rotating Chairmanship/Secretariat, which would be comprised of the different sections of the industry - membership organisations (CI, C4D Network, CDAD, HC3 etc), NGOs, academics, donors (IO's and bi-lateral) and the private sector.
There are lots of other things a Global Mechanism could do for the sector, but I think starting with the basics of terminology and advocacy for the sector with donors should be the starting point to build a strong foundation to add to in the future.
C4D Approaches
I read with great interest comments of colleagues from all over the world. I think its mainly the efforts of UNICEF and its partners that C4D has become a hot topic.
I recognize the development as natural and necessary. However, I do wish to bring up the question of cost of C4D. I guess that administrators who barely pay for simple awareness raising campaigns, will balk at the much higher costs of inter-personal channels and group media. Hence, we professionals should develop an agreed upon strategy to allocate limited budget.
Hypothetically, communication budget (for variable and recurring costs) pie can be cut as follows:
10% for researcch and evaluation
30% for field staff (salaries, travel)
20% Management & supervisory structure (excludes cost of office space and other essentials to be provided by the host institution)
10% for training (all kinds), training materials
5% for audio-visual aids
20% for electronic and print media
5% for non-traditional and indigenous media such as folk media.
Of course this is subject to adjustment to accommodate local needs, communication stage of the program, and prior experience, etc.
Another important aspect will be how fine tuned is the communication strategy? Is it based on evidence? Is it target audience on the basis of their KAP data? etc.
The bottom line is that administrators of health and development programs should realize that cost per person of reaching target audiences varies broadly depending upon where do thesy stand on the communication spectrum before start of the program.
Colleagues' feedback on this suggestion will be illuminating.
Javed S. Ahmad
Health Communication Consultant
Communication not just as a tool, but also as a right.
In mainstread development discourse, communication platforms and processes (i.e. C4D) are often seen as "instruments" to advance development objectives. From WACC's perspective, a global mechanism on C4D should start from an understanding of communication as a fundamental right, and should seek to advance communication rights as much as it seeks to advance development objectives.
Communication... also as a right (and more in Hodges' model)
Dear Lorenzo and All,
'Communication' needs to be considered as not just a com-plex concept (process, social, practice, research, purpose, policy, reality...) but a com-pound phenomena too.
I have raised the potential of Hodges' model previously and in your few lines Lorenzo you also highlight how this (open) model might help integrate and provide a generic foundation for the whole health care agenda, locally, globally and glocally - through technology and culture.
First I quite agree to 'communication' being a Right: definitely. In health, gender and development contexts there is of course:
being heard (physically, politically, educationally - literacy)
and being able to hear (physically, politically, educationally - literacy)
We must also include choosing not to communicate (vote)?
I'm sure we can all add our own experiential, personal, and professional emphases on the above.
The link below (should... ) outline Hodges' model - a generic conceptual framework.
Hodges' model - Structure and Care Domains
What is 'spiritual' encompasses the whole model.
As a 'right' like human rights we can place this conceptually in the POLITICAL domain. The scope of 'communication' and its dimensions can then be reflected upon and made more explicit.
There are a number of 'gifts' in your comment beyond the obvious one in C4D :-)
We are aware of the skills needed in the sciences and many clinical treatments in handling instruments. The history of science is full of them through to the fact of robots deftly and with mm accuracy (and less) assisting in surgery.
For communication to be a right, this should necessitate a series, or at least one 'policy instrument'.
In Hodges' model the SCIENCES and POLITICAL domains are associated with what is usually considered MECHANISTIC (physical).
This is not merely word association, but a tool that imho can help this and related communities.
With commincation as a right, Hodges' model can help stress the need for the many identified and debated literacies to be made a reality.
If you and Warren approve perhaps I could post your comment on my blog and this reply so as to also highlight Comminit.com?
Just to close I am presenting Hodges' model in London on the 18 May - there is a link on the blog's sidebar.
Thank you for your comment Lorenzo.
I hope this helps your deliberations?
Kind regards,
Peter Jones
@h2cm
Please see also:
Blog: Welcome to the QUAD
http://hodges-model.blogspot.co.uk/
Jones, P. (1996) Do we need an overarching theory of health communication? Health Informatics Journal,2,1,28-34.
Agree - a basic right
I totally agree with the comment submitted by Lorenzo Vargas: communication for development and communication in general should be considered as a basic right and not only as a tool to achieve development objectives. This should be a priority among the objectives of the global network.
C4C
After my experience I remain conviced that:
1) The aim of my job was to create a kind of plate-form of understanding around the concept of development
2) to take in consideration the efficiency of partenership based on the emic and the etic representatations
We should to clarify our understanting of development and communication.
C4D Mechanism and tools
Hi all when we think of C4D Global Mechanism and changing behavior we need to think at first of community engagement and how we can involve the community to make the change, from my point of view from them we can reach our goals . What am thinking of if we can all think of SOPs for c4d. Mechanism that we use to deliver our messages :
1 - Community gathering
2 - Elders and community key persons
3 - Door to door activities
4 - Media ,phone calls, others,,.,
5 - Community presentative All our messages taken from the community by conducting FGD. For more details if any one need them I will be more than happy to share with .
Thanks
Kilani
Universities, African perspectives, thoughts?
Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
Hi folks and many thanks for engaging in the discussions re a possible global mechanism for communication and media development, social and behavioural change. I wanted to draw your attention to two parallel processes that have emerged through The CI's communities and groups process, prompt any further thoughts in advance of the Options paper being developed, and issue a quick reminder re the really important survey (if you have not already completed).
1. Universities: There is a pertinent discussion taking place amongst the 6,000 participants in The CI network who are involved in the academic community. Please see the relevant thread here - Lack of C4D Modules in University courses submitted by Carolimne Hungwe in Zimbabwe which has attracted 20 substantive comments with more received and to be posted today and tomorrow. Some really interesting analysis and ideas.
2. Africa: Following the East and Southern Africa consultation we posted the prompt for analysis and ideas on the Soul Beat Africa commmunity (15,008). Though there is some duplication with this mechanism group there are also a number of signifcant contributions that are specific to that community - Advancing Communication and Media for Development - Consultation - East and Southern Africa - with more to be published soon.
3. Survey: if you have not done so already please complete the survey that will inform this process. We have had a large number of responses but the more we can get the better. If you have completed - thanks!
4. Options paper: We are beginning the rewrite of the Options paper for this mechanism. Now is a really good time to share any (further) thoughts and ideas that you may have related to the questions posed here - Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas? Just scroll through the comments submitted to date (38) replying to any that attract your attention and then add any further comments in the Comments block at the bottom of that thread.
Thanks - really appreciate everyone's engagement in this process - Warren (and on behalf of Rafael at UNICEF).
Truly universal and coordinated
Re: Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
In your assessment would such a mechanism bring added value to communication and media (for) development, social and behavioural change?
Yes but only under one condition: Is this mechanism aiming to somehow work for the whole field of SBC/C/C4D? If this effort is going to be put in, it should be with the aim of being truly universal and applicable/useful to all implementers, not only for activities within the UN and only for the UN's purposes. For example, there are SBC/C/C4D implementers who receive funding from both USG and UN sources. Both sets of agencies are currently working to address the need for standardized practices and especially develop standard evaluation measures and approaches. It would be absolutely ludicrous for two sets of "standards" to be formed and then force implementing orgs to constantly switch between the two depending on their funder. Let's be sure we look at this on the truly global/universal level, and work together to do so. I hope that there has been engagement between Rafael/UNICEF C4D and USAID SBC or that there will be very soon.
What overall goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a mechanism?
A goal should be to focus on affecting social norm change on entrenched issues such as child marriage, FGM/C (HTPs). These are the issues that hold back truly urgent and significant changes on which our future hinges as a species. In order to support better collaboration and increased impact, especially on entrenched issues, the mechanism should seek to emphasize the addressing of multiple and/or inter-related issues in comms approaches (rather than so many siloed/duplicative ones) in order to achieve greater impacts. Note PHE (population, health, and environment) as an example of such holistic multi-issue programming approaches -- PHE-type integrated-issue approaches used on larger scales (mass-media) should be emphasized for their ability to address and shift deep-seeded social and cultural norms. That coordination will be facilitated by a standardized language and definitions and metrics for SBC/C/C4D.
What strategic approach should such a mechanism take to work towards those goals?
Establish standard measurements for knowledge/attitude/behavior change impacts and program successes: A standard set of metrics and indicators so that comms orgs and projects can be better compared against one another and be held accountable to delivering on objectives. Cost effectiveness measures should become a standardized norm, including cost per attributable behavior change. (See S. Sood and D. Nambiar, “Comparative cost-effectiveness of the components of a behavior change communication campaign on HIV/AIDS in North India,” Journal of Health Communication, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 143–162, 2006.)
Stephanie.Tholand
Population Media Center
Comment on Advocacy
Responding to an earlier comment on advocacy. It is an integrat part of C4D essential for achieving political influence, social change and cultural transformation.
However, its potential and value as an essential element of development programming is yet to be fully harnessed, maximized and appropriated. As an expression, advocacy has been used, misused, abused or overused for different reasons in different settings in development work. It has also been criticised on various grounds. Some critics describe it as ‘development sophistry’ while other calls it ‘a good word gone badly’. Some of the negative connotations of advocacy have prompted some commentators to ‘advocate’ for advocacy to reclaim itself. Thus, from both conceptual and practical perspectives, there is a need for a better understanding and appreciation of the fundamental principles of advocacy to inform its practice.
Adebayo Fayoyin
Global Mechanism
Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
I would appreciate it if the mechanism would include: 1) efforts to streamline our taxonomy/terminology, 2) build an online database to house all social and behavior change evidence, tagged by keywords, and 3) facilitate a credentialing process whereby practitioners can obtain certification of their competency in social and behavior change knowledge and skills. Thanks! Gael
Gael O'Sullivan
Abt Associates
Reply to Gael..
Agreed. 1. Streamling of concepts, processes, models, training modules, etc is key. 2. Do we need to go as far as 'professionalising' the function? And how do we get there if that is an option? How do we systematise C4D training and certify practitioners? For now, C4D is all over the place and practised differently by different organisations.
Advocacy - need to really engage
Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
Some thoughts on these questions
What priority goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a possible global mechanism to support you advancing your work?
Advocacy needs an exciting and human faced medium to really engage and promote change and we can not ignore live theatre that can uniquely provide a human face to statistics and provide solutions from the real experts eg. those who are affected by bad policy and tired governance. Legislative Theatre makes this happen.
What strategic approach should such a possible mechanism take to work towards those goals?
“Legislative Theatre” invented and pioneered by August Boal is a mechanism of the people, for the people and by the people yet it can be at the heart of any governments policy and law making process. Governments that ignore the needs of great sections of their people can only function badly and this process can seriously improve good governance.
How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?
It is not only the domain of actors and artists to solely promote this innovative way of creating human cantered solutions through laws and policy. Increasingly people in many countries are beginning to question their politicians about their remote positions, their corruption or their disregard for the people who are feeling left behind. Governments have a need to survive so they will NEED to structure in opportunities for more people to participate in their own development and do that at the top of the chain. Using Legislative Theatre addresses many of these problems for both people and governments.
Advantages of this system are many
• We put a human face on policy,
• We have the ability to play it out into alternative futures, say 5 or 10 or 20 years into the future
• The law or policy is closer to the people it will effect
• The people have a real stake in determining their own futures
• People are closer to power and understanding the political process.
• Politicians get a closer understanding of how issues effect real peoples lives
• The participants have had their say in an accessible way.
• The process has been scrutinized and truly engaged with.
• Laws are robust and more future proof
• This format is less likely than other participative political processes of being hijacked by political extremes or agendas
Shall we do this ?
Bill Hamblett
Small World Theatre
Overwhelming communities, household relationship
4 thoughts related to the Global Mechanism under discussion
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
C4D social and structural
Dear All
I notice that some people are using C4D as a synonym for health education. C4D also implies community based action and involvement. It implies looking at structural and social barriers to change. Knowledge is only a small part of the equation.
Best
Sue
Sue Goldstein
Executive: Programmes
Soul City
South Africa
Rethinking C4D
Dear All,
Intro:
The confusion over the terminology has been long and will continue. I have done C4D jobs in various settings but had different titles: IEC expert, programme communication officer, social mobilization analyst, community mobilisation officer, BCC specialist and regional C4D adviser. Our training processes/institutions also complicate matters. Its combi, its social norms, its social mobilisation, its strategic communication, its advocacy and social change, its health education/promotion and its also C4D. Practices are not uniform, different model of social change are used and results are sometimes difficult to aggregate for comparability. Clearly, there is a lot of 'house clearning' to be done.
Priority goal: May be rethink C4D as a discipline/field of study, standadize its practice, and ensure harmonization of terrms, approaches, training programmes and practices.
Strategic approach: Learn from the past, review previous similar efforts if they failed or succeeded and why, dont reinvent the wheel, involve all sectors - researchers, academics, trainers, practitioners, users of C4D function (programmers) etc. Develop a long term futuristic model in view of social, cultural and technological changes.
Structure: both virtual and physical, global versus regional/subregional approach, avoid geographic dichotomies etc
C4D and Health Education
I hope Sue is not saying that health education is only concerned with knowledge. As far as I know health education is very much about behavior change and it involves individuals, groups and community, including its gate keepers, influential and stakeholders. and processes that encourage or discourage proposed change. I don't understand how C4D is different other than old wine in new bottle?
Household, Culture, Community
Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
Mine is a very simplistic line of thinking and response.
Priority goals and themes
- Every household reached with personally relevant C4D: Getting economic and socially self replicating and sustaining C4D in every household.
- Every household informed with relevant C4D: Giving the households C4D that allows for informed decision making
- Every households development decision identified and respected: Taking informed decision making to household action. Every household should become its members social saftey net.
Strategic approach
- Reach the house hold with culturally appropriate C4D. (The beneficiaries are niether backward nor ignorant. Share, do not teach. Development is not technological advancement. The cellphone, pad and computer are not always the answer)
- You will reach the masses on their terms and not yours: Acedemic approaches only benefit the academics. The questions should be "what can the beneficiary do with what they have physically, financially, academically and socially at their disposal". "How can we ALL make cultural change possible in a world of traditional intollerance and neo-colonialism"
How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?
- Community level facilitation teams made of (long term/lifetime) locals integrated into both cultural/traditional and government structures
- Allow the communities to undergo a facilitated review of themselves in a way in which both the facilitator and the community share and take away best practices. If only one way is seen as the correct way then we assume that th community has no right/reason to be alive and that they are here and now by mistake or a quirk of nature.
- Do not force households to join the rat race when they are running their own race. C4D should never be allowed to become communication for consumerism, profit and greed. Questions should be like "how can my household avoid illness with what we have"? as opposed to "how do I get enough money to buy the water purifying agent and refills from country x"?
Raymond Mwanza - NZP+ - Zambia
Please Respond and contribute at this link
Importance of reaching out to academia
Reaching out to academia is important because academia contributes to the development of human resource needed by organizations to implement C4D. In my context Universities do not even have a C4D module in their degree programme. Be that may every year Universities channel out Journalists/ Public Relations/Marketing graduates who then get C4D jobs in either UN or international NGOs etc.. .These graduates will be lacking theoretical knowledge on application of C4D strategies. As such there is a gap that exists between the academia and field. Because of the skills gap, the tendency then for many communications people when they join organisations is to focus on communication for Influencing donors and international decision-making bodies through communication and visibility activities such as events, media relations, press release, factsheets, billboards and posters etc… The challenge is that in most cases the targeted beneficiaries end up with knowledge about the existence of a certain project /programme in their area, but this does not translate to change in practices. Well-trained human resource is key to making a case for C4D budget lines at proposal development, and this will help to upscale c4d in the field. They can contextualize issues and help answer questions such as “what can the beneficiary do with what they have physically, financially, academically and socially at their disposal". Thus it is in the best interest of C4D advocates to bridge the gap between field and academia. Interactions with academia can take many forms including C4D training modules development, Conferences, research partnerships or mentorships just to mention a few.
Need to provide qualified staff
This comment is very important. The need to provide qualified staff in C4D is essential to ensuring that C4D be included in the activities of international institutions. Otherwise we will continue to have communication staff carrying out information and public relations activities instead of C4D programs.
Contribution to the consultation process
Dear Warren,
Please find here a few thoughts on the Global Mechanism.
1. What priority goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a possible mechanism?
Because a lot of the Development Communication work has been dedicated to health and education issues (UNICEF’s hard work is partly responsible for this) most of the discourse on SBC Communication has neglected a number of critical issues such as:
- Livelihood activities and all the poverty eradication mechanisms;
- Involuntary resettlement and related changes on habitat, livelihood, social structures, etc;
- Agricultural technologies and agricultural extension work ( in spite of the excellent work of FAO, a lot still remains to be done)
- Water Governance – this area hasn’t even been scratched properly;
- Natural resources management – in spite of a huge volume of environmental advocacy there is actually little SBC Communication at community level
In all these area one can find here and there some pearls and some academic work and I believe the time is ripe now to institutionalize the debate and the educational efforts in these sectors.
2. What strategic approach should such a possible mechanism take to work towards those goals?
I would go where the interest to tackle all these areas is and where the money and the experience to run such a mechanism is. And it is not a long search – the World Bank. It is the only institution whose management has made a success of the other global mechanisms ( Education for all, GEF, etc) and has the convening power to get the donors to pay attention to this ( with the possible exception of USA these days). The challenge is to make the WB leadership to listen to this, and that is because C4D has been located mainly witheh corporate communication instead of being hosted somewhere like social development for example. But a well worded and documented appeal to the President and the Board may have success
3. How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?
I believe it should have two prongs – one dedicated to applied research and develop and test instruments and one that would basically be service provider, an operational branch that would support development operations – and make money in the process
Awareness C4D, Engage Academic, National Focal Points
To compliment comments from others below is my contribution on the most pressing communication and media for development priorities
.
What priority goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a possible global mechanism to support you advancing your work?
Advocacy and creation of awareness on the need and value of C4D Targeting key stakeholders/ influencers such as programmes officer, proposal writers and Donors, Government, NGOs, Implementing partners, Without their buy in C4D is not factored in the proposals and approved budgets
Capacity building/Training of C4D specialists. (e.g. Developing a training module, national workshops targeting lecturers and learners). In my context Universities are focused on journalism and PR curriculum with little or nothing on C4D,
What strategic approach should such a possible mechanism take to work towards those goals?
Engage academic institutions for short high value courses to re orient both students and lecturers.
Build partnerships and alliances
How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?
Appoint national focal person who report to report to global focal person
Focal person to draw up engagement strategy plus workplan with key deliverables
Some of the focal person key result areas could be, to engage academic institutions, organize a national conference or organize meet up at individual institution level /presentations, Create a contact data base
Allocate resources to carry out above activities
Caroline Hungwe
Data base and journals
Dear Caroline,
Greetings from Mozambique!
Thank you very much for sharing these wonderful ideas.
I just would like to add under the following topic:
How would you recommend that such a mechanism be structured and organised?
- Ensure the development of a data base of the main actions carried out under the global mechanism
- Publish success stories/scientic articles in the international journals.
Thank you.
Many kind regards.
Prafulta Jaiantilal
Scaling up community participation at the local level
JJust to add to what other have contributed.
What priority goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a possible mechanism?
In my view some of the issues that the the social and behaviour change, communication and media for development field can focus on the followis as regards priority goals and themes:
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 organized?
Value, Impact, Partnership, Funding et al
Thank you for sending the backgound information on the Consultation. As I explained in the survey I filled out, I am no longer an active working member of the C4D community. Thus I can only contriubute comments based on my past experience.
With regard to your request to submit some comments on three basic points:
1. Priority Goals:
a) Advocating for the value and impact of C4D has always been a priority goal, but has never been achieved.Thus I believe it should remain a priority goal. With concrete examples of impact.
b) There has been an increase in partners, while some traditional partners have disappeared (see FAO and Unesco). There is thus a need for more coordinated action.
c) Funding has always been a problem, especially for field level activities that provide evidence of impact. But this requires funding for longer periods (at least 5 years) to see results and impact. Funding for Hq. posts is also a priority.
d) To act as a legitimate point of contact would be another important priority.
2. Strategic Approach
The global network should not duplicate or override other existing networks. They should feed into it. Which raises the question of participation and membership. How to ensure national and local participation? What about membership? Should it be open only to institutions ? And what about languages?
3. Structure
This raises the issue of staff and resources made available to the global network. Possibly regional contact points to gather and ensure regional and local participation.
Silvia
Local language, long term, local takeholders, norms, values
I would like you and other participating members to consider:
Thank you
Warm Regards
James Mukwindidza
Director/Producer
Vuka Afrika Performing Arts Trust
Highfield Social Services,Harare,Zimbabwe
In your own words - Global Mechanism
To: Participants in the “Global Mechanism” consultations
Hi folks - I wanted to quickly address those people who have participated in one of the in-person consultations that has been held to date (there will be more!).
Can I please ask you in your own words (so not relying on any summary interpretation that Rafael and I may have of your analysis and perspectives!) to quickly submit a few paragraphs or points summarising the contributions that you made at the consultation gathering that you attended.
Either click “Please review complete …” below, scroll down, through the numerous contributions already received, to the Post Comment block, log in and submit direct OR just send to me by email reply and we will post for you.
Many thanks - this is really going to help this consultation process. It will ensure that we do not misinterpret any views expressed.
Thanks - very much appreciate everyone’s engagement - a delight to work with you all - Warren (and on behalf of Rafael)
Western Communication Models: What about Local Knowledge?
Comment on: Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
Jyotika Ramaprasad has raised some pertinent points and I want to address one of them. She says: “The one size fits all adoption of Western theories and practices does not do justice to local ethnotheories and knowledge. Can we have a mechanism that ensures that practice takes these into account seriously?”
I agree. This is a valid point. However, are local theories compatible to Western promoted theories and models? Or can these be used in conjunction with the Western communication models? It would be interesting to see some comparisons.
As a global issue, I feel most developing countries are far from developing their own theories and models. Since teaching of communication theory requires a large reservoir of research data and construction of models and theories, such knowledge is mostly lacking in third world and whatever research exists is not used to produce a body of knowledge and theoretical frameworks. Hence, health communication and education text books invariably use Western literature to build arguments.
Most quality research conducted in developing countries has been surveys, such as DHS. That is good for programme planners and administrators but not for building communication models. Quality research takes enormous amount of will, resources, technical skills and time. It is the first two which are mostly missing. I think developing countries do not need to reinvent the wheel. If they just start to conduct replica research (repeating research already done in the West) with an explicit aim of building communication theory, one day developing countries will have their own home grown communication models.
Since this issue is global (mostly third world), there is a need to support it technically, financially and institutionally. If educational grants are linked to this goal, a lot may happen. Sooner it is done the better because there is no short cut to building models and theories. This effort should be accompanied by communication advocacy to be yield results.
lets start with understanding local communication models
The starting point for me is understanding how these local communities communicate and designing models from and with them. Importing external models and theories has been one of the major drivers of under development especially in Africa as such models are not contextualised to cultures, traditions, values and beliefs of that particular community.
A few thoughts
Comment on: Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
What overall goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a mechanism?
Focus more on structural, system level change; continue to emphasize the criticality of communication expertise; give importance to dialogue and discussion as means and outcomes and from these experiences build local theories of change inductively; take into account local ethnotheories and knowledge; change the projectization and short timeline approach of large funding agencies.
If we have learned anything from experience, it is that change takes a long time and that we are only minor players trying to do our best to make the world a better place against larger forces that include disasters, population growth, and all that unbridled capitalism breeds.
What strategic approach should such a mechanism take to work towards those goals?
1. In face of immense structural level barriers, individual agency is rarely present in most countries, particularly in collectivistic societies, even more specifically in the Global South, and almost certainly for marginalized groups. Why do we still focus on these in and of themselves and also under the guise of “social” change? Can we develop a mechanism that works at the system/structure level?
2. While considerable success has been achieved in ensuring a communication component in change interventions as opposed to the past content component alone, we still need to make more progress on this front. Grassroots NGOs and government agencies at local levels where funds trickle down for project implementation have content but not always communication expertise, leading to considerable shortfall in implementation. Can we have a mechanism that still advances the place of communication across sectors?
3. Communication is often understood to mean only message dissemination, the design of these messages based on individual level behavior change theories, mostly of Western origin. Can we have a mechanism that considers dialogue and discussion too and that assists in building non-Western theories inductively at first based on field experiences?
4. The one size fits all adoption of Western theories and practices does not do justice to local ethnotheories and knowledge. Can we have a mechanism that ensures that practice takes these into account seriously?
5. Large funding agencies still use a projectization approach with short timelines. Can we have a mechanism that has these agencies reposition their funding strategies and success expectations in terms of timelines?
Poverty, young people and communication media
Comment on: Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
Oficina Treballs a la Comunitat Ajuntament de València (España)
GLOBAL MECHANISM:
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Recent reports show that in these days, poverty and social exclusion are given in earlier ages. Childhood and transition to adult life are risk stages in which the formation, the home structure, the working market conditions and the access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) could be intervention fields for the prevention of poverty.
Moreover, understanding wellness as the capacity to choose between different options, ICT could be an interesting tool for young people to access to social services and assistances and this way reach wellness.
Related to that, we should talk about the “Matthew Effect”, in which appear two different processes:
On one hand, sectors of the society with more access to information, high qualification studies and quality social relations benefit from social services. So that, there is a virtuous circle: from a privileged and successful situation, some differential advantages are accumulated.
On the other hand, sectors of the society with more difficulties in accessing to formation and information are involved in a vicious circle, in which differential disadvantages are accumulated: less information and less opportunities of profiting social supports.
Nowadays, youth are the principal users of ICT, even in the more damaged sectors of society. So, communication media and social networks are a cue instrument in order to correct the “Matthew Effect”, allowing the information development and a visualization of social actions, nearing helps to the needed youth.
In conclusion, we believe that media and social networks would be powerful mechanisms in the poverty prevention among young people with actions like:
1. Use of messages with lots of information (links) but short, global, massive and intuitive at the same time; written in a appropriate and no sexist language, and with a low economic and environmental cost. These messages would be sent through mobile apps of main social network and networking platforms (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Youtube, …)
2. Reduction of the digital brief that appears in development countries. It would mean the suppression of inequality between people who have access or knowledge in technology and the people who haven’t. One concrete measure to achieve that goal would be promoting specific formation in social network, both inside and outside the academic system, in the different areas where they spend their free time (youth centres, places of leisure and cultural places), in order to reach all youth.
Francisco Guinot Martín
Amparo Pardo Andreu
Irene de la Torre Giménez
Eric Beltran Moreno
Institutionalization, Resources and Emergency Response paclages
Comment on Global Mechanism: Your analysis and ideas?
Dear Warren,
I will not be able to attend these events although I would love to. I am in Florida these days
I have , however, three topics or suggestions relevant to your discussions:
1. I think lack of institutionalization of health communication is a serious issue in most parts of the developing world.
Mostly because governments do not invest in such institutions and donors fund capacity building without institution building. I understand the constraints but ruling it out altogether is drawback. Why can't aid be tied with government providing the physical infrastructure?
2. Health communication practitioners have scattered resources to find research reports, books, magazines, and materials. John's Hopkins project is one example. However, I believe a global resource or warehouse under the auspices of UN, may be UNDP, will be more appropriate so that all UN languages are covered. If nothing else, such a resource can be virtual, meaning just providing necessary links on line.
3. There is a need to develop an international emergency response communication package for epidemics and pandemics that provides essential information covering preventive measures, disease epidemiology, treatment options, sanitary and hygiene measures, and international sources of help including technical assistance. This can be a multi-national institution or a joint effort between multi nationals such as WHO, CDC, etc. I believe at the moment each country is left to fend on its own.
If these ideas have been already on the table or discarded, never mind. Just toss.
Best regards.
Javed Ahmad
Structural change such as change in gender power relations
Soul City Institute’s position on international body for social change and development communication.
SCI has been in the social change arena for 20 years and although the field has moved through the health education, behavior change, social change continuum it seems in the past few years to have moved backwards to “demand creation”. This has spurred on by a renewed focus on biomedical interventions and a move away from structural and developmental interventions. Social and behavior change organisations have been reduced to instruments that create demand for biomedical interventions. There is no acknowledgement that development is a process and needs structural change such as change in gender power relations, (tackling the issues that keep women disempowered) , social justice and policies such as alcohol policy and access to services.
At the same time there has been an influx of international agencies and NGO’s into Southern Africa and elbowing out locally based interventions. “Evidence based” interventions is used as an excuse not to support locally grown interventions when funding to build the evidence of locally based interventions is shrinking
SCI would welcome an international body which addresses these issues and collects the gaps in the evidence that show the difference the structural interventions can make. The encouragement of locally implemented and long term strategies with long term funded studies to produce the evidence is a key issue to be address.
Sue Goldstein
Soul City Institute for Social Justice
No way that external actors ... can foster authentic transform
I have been somewhat dismayed in the past few years that (ED: HIV/AIDS related agencies highlighted) have in my view pretty much abandoned previous commitments to social and behavioural change communication, and in so doing have failed either to keep up to date or to forge ahead in evolving perspectives on the subject.
This has been acutely felt in HIV prevention where the overwhelming evidence of the past year is that HIV prevention efforts are going backwards - despite or perhaps because of the the naive faith in the impact of treatment as prevention. At the same time though, my last 3 years here in Zimbabwe have reinforced my view that donor driven SBCC is doomed to failure - there is simply no way that external actors whether bilateral or multilateral can foster authentic transformation on the ground. The solutions have to lie with much more removed and arms length mechanisms for financial support or partnership building or co-creation efforts.
In a general sense therefore I think the mechanism you and Rafael are floating is a good idea.
My inclination would be that it needs to be flavoured with notions of nudge, behavioural economics, big data and the whole new array of social media influencing techniques that advertising agencies these days get excited about. There is some good UN work in this area (and UNICEF has certainly been at the forefront of it) but too much has been inexpert and badly thought through (every month or so I see across my desk yet another proposal for a social media platform that promises to captivate Zimbabwean youth but they all rise and fall without trace).
I hope these comments are helpful and I will see if there are possibilities of my engaging with this effort more in the future.
regards,
Michael Bartos
Global Mechanism - Some ideas for consideration
A Global Mechanism on communication is would be useful in a number of ways. Particularly if the mechanism can drive a few global "projects", for the benefit of all communication practitioners.
Some 'projects' (can also be interpreted as goals/objectives, if one wishes) could include:
1) Establishment of a worldwide (disaggregated by country) sentinel behvioural surveillance system, based on a set of core socio-behavioural (including social norms) indicators and benchmarks, which are regularly updated and can become a key reference resource.
2) A systematic broadcast media profile, by country, based on a core set of indicators; and information about which is regularly updated. Could include major communication interventions being undertaken in-country by the broadcast media.
3) New communication thinking in new and emerging areas of work (in the form of critical analyses and 'white papers'), which are forward looking and 'horizon scanning'. For example -- on the emerging issue of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), considered the most serious threat to public health in the era of modern medicine.
Much of this should be based on 'crowd-sourcing' knowledge and information in a systematic fashion -- to ensure 'near real time' information.
There might be many initiatives already underway along these lines, so excuse me if that is the case.
Cheers,
Satya
Global Mechanism - should be instrumental in breaking down silos
Any proposed mechanism should focus on being an innovative addition, break the mould of the past and seek to be relevant to the future. Why do I say this? Because we should not be thinking now in terms of what works for development, or humanitarian action or DRR. This is all our language. I keep seeing papers or needs expressed by organisations that are focused on their niche and an agenda developed due to specific funding. Communication, and the effectivenes of what we do, must be developed with the communities we are working with. A refugee who fled five years ago and is now in a camp is probably in a humanitarian/development context, while being blissfully unaware of the fact. Similarly the speed of climate change is creating vulnerabilities where communication may be the only intervention that is going to help people rearrange their lives and take safer options. But to achieve there has to be trust, equality in engagement and an understanding of the historical context that is framing their references.
The proposed mechanism, if developed, should be an advocate also for what this type of activity in 'the last mile' means in terms of funding and resources. Aid and development is wedded to supply, to the visible outcomes of things arriving and the resulting picture on the organisational website. Smiles all round. But it is absolutely obvious, if under detailed, that while the delivery of 'stuff' is necessairy, spending that informs people, engages them and allows them to network with their wider community to solve the multitude of low level emergencies, gives greater returns. This, however, is organisationally challenging because it is easier to deliver stuff and funders like it. Any proposed mechanism should be be about what happens at the interface of international actvity and communities, with a culture that challenges the whole pyramid that so often makes this an unequal, unfair and ineffective exchange.
On breaking of silos comment by Martin
A very thoughtful piece Martin. Indeed, one has seen emergency responses of many organisations often rapidly reducing just to being a supplies/commodities shop, or a print shop. This is not at all to belittle the critical importance of supplies and leaflets and "key messages" as the immediate (hours and days) response to a disaster or an unfolding humanitarian crisis. Tose are critical inputs, but almost parallely a massive need for very different kinds of "communication" needs arise which are seldom understood in their full complexity.
Reminder: Mechanism meeting - WHO - 12-30pm Thursday 17th
Hi folks - just a quick reminder for those who have confirmed that they will attend the "mechanism" consutation with Rafael and myself on Thursday, 17th November from 12-30pm to 2pm in Salle B at WHO in Geneva. We had an excellent gathering in London and look forward to repeating in Geneva. If you are not a UN staff person there should be a visitors badge waiting for you at the main reception. Very much look forward to seeing everyone there. If you have not confirmed but wish to attend please let me know.
Plus a REMINDER to those who attended the London meeting. Please send me your one sentences (plus explanations if you wish) for sharing. Thanks
Best wishes and thanks - Warren
1 sentence from a media professional
Media professionals need to be able to source and quote recent and reliable evidence while at the same time recognising it comes with set principles and beliefs i.e. spin.
Journalis training
The European Broadcasting Union has journalist training and perhaps this can be harnessed to train development and helathcare journalists on public health issues, by de^monstrating cross cutting themes, thus breaking down silos.
Journalists training
Hi Daniele,
BBC Media Action is already training journalists in order to cover health-related topics.
The World Federation of Science Journalists, in partnership with the World Health Organization, is delivering training courses as well.
Mara
Your one sentence description
Hi and many thanks to everyone who participated in the "mechanism" gathering in London on Thursday. Particular thanks to all at BBC Media Action for providing the venue. Very much look forward to seeing everyone in Geneva. Thanks to Annie and her WHO colleagues for supporting the venue. Anyone can contribute their ideas online through the comments facility at this link. (There is background information here.) Rafael and myself are planning out the next steps in the consultation process.
At the conclusion of the London meeting we went around the table and asked people present to describe in one sentence the mechanism that they would prioritise. Peter Drury has shared his sentence through this Group.
Could we please encourage everyone who was at the London gathering to start this process by doing the same? It would be excellent to share these for further dialogue and consideration by all. Simply reply to this email or click "Please review ... " below.
Of course you do not have to have been at the London gathering. All are welcome to contribute. In this way, as we go through the consultation phase, we will collectively consider, gather and review the ideas being generated.
Thanks - Warren
Communications framework enabling communities
Dear Raphael and Warren
thank you for the invitation to take part in the consultation meeting held today at BBC Media Action.
You asked us each for a sentence that captured the essence of what we had each been trying to contribute. My suggestion is that the mechanism that is not yet in place and which needs to be is:
establishing a communications framework (content and technology) focused on enabling communities (urban/rural; developed/developing) to engage with those aspects of the SDGs relevant to them and fostering feedback (of what works/fails needed/redundant)
I mentioned some work I did with UNICEF in Laos - and here is a link
The global mechanism I would like to see evolve is a framework that enables this sort of audio/visual material relevant for the all the SDG-related issues (and which is evidence-based and of good generic quality) being curated, localised, used and improved. Not only is health (as in Laos) needed, but also education, agriculture, business, environment, social protection etc etc. The technology for doing this offline is now affordable (e.g. mobile + SD card), and in the next 5 years or so online access will become increasingly affordable.
Thanks again for the opportunity to contribute today to this important initiative.
Best wishes
Peter
Peter Drury, Ph.D
Director, Drury Consulting Ltd
mob +44 7789397285
work +44 1904701320
email: druryconsultingltd@gmail.com
skype: peterdrury4
One Stop Shop
Dear Warren,
in relation to the raised questions, sharing some of my ideas.
- The added value of a Global mechanism for communication, media, social and behavior change: I believe it depends very much of the mechanism itself – its format, accessibility, proposed role, gaps it wants to cover. I guess, a global mechanism can bring added value by bringing expertise, experts, resources in one single place. It can act as a ‘one stop shop’ where communication specialist can find resources, learn from various practices and present their good practices.
- What overall goals and themes would you propose as the focus of such a mechanism: The way I see it, the mechanism should facilitate the circulation of information, expertise and experiences. It should contribute to building the knowledge and skill of professionals, grant access to research, good practices, allow for identification of experts, so that the global community of professionals can benefit from the wealth of information, knowledge and expertise available.
- What strategic approach should such a mechanism take to work towards those goal? These consultations themselves represent a good approach to identify the best way to achieve the goals, once they are set, and the vision of this global mechanism identified. The process should be a participatory one, and the mechanism itself open and transparent, facilitating interaction within the community.
These are some of my ideas. If there are any support materials or minutes of previous meetings to go through, please let me know. As I was not part of these discussions before.
Thank you!
sergiu
Cochrane for communications
Could a mechanism like Cochrane (independent review) be set up for journalists to dip into
Reminder re London meeting TODAY
Hi folks - just a quick reminder for all of those who are attending the London gathering today, Thursday 10th from 3pm to 5pm, to discuss the possible need for and options for a global "mechanism" in our field. The address is:
BBC Media Action, Ibex House, 42-47 Minories, London, EC3N 1DY.
You should be on a list at reception. Look forward to seeing you there and to the questions, analysis and ideas we will all share and discuss.
Any issues or questions please text me 1-250-588-8795
Plus further encouragement to please post any advance thoughts and ideas through this Group.
Thanks - Warren
Post new comment