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.
 
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 cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Countdown 2015 - Global

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Countdown 2015: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All is an initiative dedicated to assessing the progress of, and mapping the future for, the goals articulated at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that was held in Cairo in 1994. Begun as an initiative of Family Care International (FCI), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and Population Action International (PAI), Countdown 2015 has expanded to involve a wide range of international sexual and reproductive health and rights organisations who are concerned with identifying future directions, recruiting new allies, and recognising the role that young people can play in efforts to fulfill the commitments made at ICPD.
Communication Strategies
Countdown 2015 involves a series of activities and events scheduled throughout 2004 and 2005 to mark the 10th anniversary of ICPD at national, regional, and international levels. It is meant to be a timely, strategic review by civil society of country performance, progress, and programmatic successes; a structured exploration of future directions; and an opportunity to identify new leadership and welcome new allies to the sexual and reproductive health and rights field. Young people will be active players throughout the process. Activities will include:
  • An International Round Table will be held in London in late August/early September 2004, preceded and followed by a series of 6 regional meetings to be organised jointly by IPPF Regions in partnership with other NGOs and networks.
  • A magazine will be launched at the Roundtable, with articles and a centrefold Report Card ranking countries according to their performance on ICPD commitments. It will also include supplementary advocacy documents such as a policy brief and fact sheets.
  • A communications campaign will aim to refocus attention on the importance of the goals of the ICPD and at generating media coverage of the NGO-organised events taking place in 2004.
Face-to-face meetings and consultations, many of which are detailed on the evolving Countdown 2015 website, will take place at various levels to support these activities. For example, regional meetings will gather grassroots NGOs and regional organisations to take stock of progress, report back on experiences, identify regional priorities, and develop future strategies for implementing ICPD. These meetings will also complement, reflect, and reinforce the international activities planned as part of Countdown 2015. Visit the Countdown 2015 site for more details about these activities. In addition, United Nations (UN) meetings will be held to review the process of implementing ICPD - click here for further information.
Development Issues
Reproductive Health and Rights, Youth.
Key Points
2004 is the 10th anniversary of a pledge made by the international community to make basic reproductive health services available to all by 2015. For background information on this pledge, and for updated details about progress being made to honour it, visit the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) site.
Partners

Countdown 2015 is coordinated by FCI, IPPF, and PAI. An international Steering Committee has been established to guide the development of project activities; it includes includes representatives from: African Partnership for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls (AMANITARE), Amnesty International, Asia Pacific Alliance (APA), Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Centre for African Family Studies, Catholics for a Free Choice, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), The European NGOs for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (EuroNGO), Federation for Women and Family Planning (ASTRA), Inter-European Parliamentary Forum for Population and Development, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, IPPF, International Women's Health Coalition, Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICPF), Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network, Latin American & Caribbean Youth Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Women's Health Improvement Association of Egypt; Youth Coalition, and Youth of Yugoslav Association Against AIDS - Youth of JAZAS. Observers: UNFPA, European Commission (EC).

Sources

Countdown 2015 site.