Social Norms
Social norms action with informed and engaged societies
Social Norms
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.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Bending the Arc

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Bending the Arc is a forum for sharing best practices between business, civil society, governments, and international development organisations. It serves as the United Nations and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)’s platform for addressing the leaders of the G8 on issues of African development and is part of an effort to help "fast track" the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa. The forum, which is administered by africapractice, examines how the private sector can forge partnerships with governments and civil society to mobilise resources to support the attainment of the MDGs in Africa.
Communication Strategies

The forum holds discussions in person and on the internet that draw on African Union (AU), NEPAD MDG consultation programmes, and the Commission for Africa report. For instance, each year an annual Bending the Arc summit takes place on the eve of the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York (USA); the September 2006 gathering brought together more than 100 leaders from the private sector, civil society, the UN system and donor governments. Participants in this, and other Bending the Arc gatherings, work to set out recommendations for the AU and G8 leaderships to adopt as they prioritise actions for achieving the MDGs in Africa.

As part of Bending the Arc, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used as a tool to share information about the MDGs, and to engage members of the general (African) public in the Bending the Arc process. For instance, the forum's pre-recorded contributions from different leaders - including Sir Richard Branson (Chairman of the Virgin Group), Paul Wolfowitz (President of the World Bank) and Mark Malloch Brown (UN Chief of Staff and UNDP Administrator) - may be accessed on the Bending the Arc website (no longer active). In addition, a service is provided through which one may browse or search a database of online videos and case studies detailing projects that are contributing towards the achievement of one or more of the MDGs in Africa. The "Have Your Say" section of the site offers a chance for anyone to weigh in on the project and/or strategies for achieving the MDGs in Africa, in general.

Development Issues

Economic Development.

Key Points

Bending the Arc was launched at a summit on July 4 2004 in London, which over 200 delegates attended. The summit addressed actions that business can take in partnership with governments, donors and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support the implementation of the MDGs.

Partners

NEPAD, United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), African Business Round Table (ABRT), africapractice.

Sources

Bending the Arc website on October 12 2005 and October 20 2006.