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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Uniting for HIV Prevention

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During the XVI International AIDS Conference in August 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the governments of India and Sweden, and Merck pharmaceuticals called for "out of the ordinary partnerships" that will bring together the UN, civil society, treatment activists, the private sector, and governments to mobilise an alliance for HIV prevention efforts around the world. The goal of 'Uniting for HIV Prevention' is to influence policy makers as well as to generate public awareness about the need to bridge the HIV prevention gap - hopefully shaping a movement that will support the realisation of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
Communication Strategies
'Uniting for HIV Prevention' centres around the potential of partnership to meet global goals for addressing AIDS worldwide through HIV prevention and treatment activism. It involves consolidating existing advocacy and public mobilisation efforts around HIV prevention, in particular, and hopes to harness the collective strengths of a variety of different organisations in bringing about a sustainable response to the AIDS epidemic.

The idea behind this coalition is that, even though organisations that will be taking part may have very different tactics, they are united by a commitment to the goal of saving lives and wish to communicate that commitment and spur action around it. Advocacy is a central strategy. For example, civil society organisations that work on different facets of the AIDS response across different sectors - such as networks of people living with HIV, young people, women's groups, human rights organisations, faith-based organisations, AIDS service organisations, and community groups - will bring pressure on their own constituencies to prioritise HIV prevention.

Specifically, 'Uniting for HIV Prevention' will involve cooperative strategies that include lobbying, capacity building, research, and other approaches. It will focus attention on 5 major areas:
  1. Scaling up HIV prevention as part of the movement towards universal access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support by simultaneously promoting increased access to HIV prevention and HIV treatment.
  2. Removing barriers to HIV prevention through the implementation of policy and programmatic actions agreed in the UNAIDS policy position paper (published: 2005) Intensifying HIV Prevention [PDF].
  3. Mobilising resources for HIV prevention by working to ensure fully funded national HIV prevention plans.
  4. Building the capacity of the public and private sector in order to sustain HIV prevention programmes.
  5. Ensuring that evidence-informed prevention programmes reach those who need them most.
Development Issues

HIV/AIDS

Key Points
According to UNAIDS, a small but growing number of countries have reduced HIV prevalence through sound prevention efforts. However, in 2005, there were still 4.1 million new HIV infections with over 40% of new adult infections occurring among young people aged 15-24. According to latest estimates, HIV prevention services reach only one in ten of those in need.

In an effort to mobilise "representatives from all corners of the AIDS response", UNAIDS and partners launched this initiative at a XVI International AIDS Conference satellite session focusing on how to leverage the global community for HIV prevention. The panel brought together perspectives of various stakeholders on galvanising and strengthening HIV prevention efforts to explore the challenges of scaling up HIV prevention and bridging the HIV prevention gap.
Partners

UNAIDS, ICASO, TAC, the governments of India and Sweden, and Merck.

Sources

Press release sent from Beth Magne-Watts to The Communication Initiative on August 14 2006; and email from Beth Magne-Watts to The Communication Initiative on September 26 2006.