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.
Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 16 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

The Forests Dialogue (TFD)

0 comments
Formed in 1999, TFD is an outgrowth of dialogues begun under the auspices of the World Bank, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the World Resources Institute. These dialogues converged to create TFD when leaders decided to build an ongoing, civil-society-driven, multi-stakeholder dialogue platform and process to address global forestry issues. The resulting group of individuals from diverse interests and regions is joined by a commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of forests. Through a shared understanding of forest issues from their own dialogues, members of TFD believe that their actions and relationships can help catalyse a broader consensus on forest issues and encourage constructive, collaborative action by individual leaders that will improve the condition and value of forests.
Communication Strategies

TFD, which is ad hoc, seeks to support and reinforce existing efforts related to participatory and other approaches to forest management. Members of TFD participate as individuals, not organisational delegates, and they aim to speak for a diversity of perspectives. TFD processes and activities strive to be transparent, to complement the actions of others, and to advance progress by creating leadership cadres on key issues based on individuals with broader personal consensus.

TFD has convened international multi-stakeholder dialogue processes - using both information and communication technologies (ICTs) and in-person events to foster collaboration - on the following topics:

  • Forests and Climate: TFD brings leaders together to discuss 2 dialogue streams related to Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).
  • Investing in Locally Controlled Forests: Building on the Family Forest Owner dialogue, TFD began an initiative focused on increasing the investment in forests and forestry that is controlled by indigenous peoples, forest communities, and family forest owners.
  • Intensively Managed Planted Forests: TFD has been working with a broad group of stakeholders to develop consensus and understanding on when, where, and with whom intensive forest management is an appropriate and feasible land use strategy.
  • Forests and Poverty Reduction: Many experts believe that commercial forestry can and should be pro-economically-poor. TFD has been working to understand the conditions and enabling environment for these forestry projects as well as the barriers to them - conducting research and sharing information on the TFD website.
  • Forests and Biodiversity Conservation: TFD has helped establish and support a regional dialogue process focused on collaborative conservation of the Atlantic Forest region in Brazil. The dialogues were held primarily among Brazilian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and companies. The dialogues have resulted in several on-the-ground, joint projects among the stakeholders.
  • Free, Prior, and Informed Consent: TFD's scoping dialogue will take place on the Yale University campus (in the United States) on April 13-14 2010. A concept paper is posted on the TFD website, which features all of the events, issues, dialogues, and documents emerging from its work in natural resources management (NRM) and communication.
Development Issues

Natural Resource Management.

Sources

TFD website, April 1 2010.