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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Facts of Life: Youth Sexuality and Reproductive Health in MENA

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Author

  • Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi

This report discusses young people across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the challenges they face in their transition to adulthood, specifically their sexual and reproductive health - a culturally sensitive topic for societies in this region.

The document defines sexual and reproductive health and rights as including:
• "Family planning information and services.
• Safe pregnancy and delivery services.
• Post-abortion care.
• Abortion where it is not against the law.
• Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
• Treatment of reproductive tract infections.
• Information and counseling on sexuality, reproductive health, and responsible parenthood."

Contents include the following:

  • Chapter 1 - Breaking the Silence on Youth Sexuality
  • Chapter 2 - MENA’s Mosaic of Youth
  • Chapter 3 - The Big Picture: Policies on Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Chapter 4 - Caught Between Biology and Society: Young People’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Sexual Behavior
  • Chapter 5 - Standing up and Speaking out: Informing Young People About Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Chapter 6 - Minding the Gap: Expanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Services
  • Appendix 1 - Data by Country
  • Appendix 2 - Glossary 
  • Appendix 3 - Sources of Information

Publishers

Publication Date
Number of Pages

78

Source

Youth InfoNet No. 83, August 2011.

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