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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UNV Arab Youth Volunteering Initiative

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In August 2012, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme launched the "Arab Youth Volunteering for a Better Future" initiative, which aims to build the skills and capacities of young people in the Arab States and enhance their participation in the socio-economic development of their communities through volunteering. The initiative will lead to a regional programme covering Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Communication Strategies

UNV and its partners recognise that youth volunteering can engage young men and women in a range of activities that can improve their participation and positively harness their energy to contribute to the achievement of local, national, and global development goals. At the same time, involvement in volunteering can enhance their life, citizenship, and work-related skills.

 

Online volunteers are one form of involvement. Translation teams work to make relevant documents available in the three main languages of the region, Arabic, French, and English. Their support is intended to engage stakeholders and beneficiaries in the development of the programme, for example through the exploratory national consultations held in each of the five countries, for which online volunteers translated the facilitation tools.

 

Online volunteers also edit, translate, and create the layout of the consultations report. Others support the programme development by researching and analysing data on youth and volunteering in the Arab States, including the findings of the national consultations. The design team intends to take up the work of developing brochures and other communication tools that will help UNV to promote the programme.

 

Development Issues

Youth

Key Points

The UNV programme is the UN organisation that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. "UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN Volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity."

 

In October 2012, UNV held a regional consultation workshop with stakeholders in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss the findings from five national consultations and made an agreement on the strategic directions for the future of the programme. Participants included youth, civil society organisations, government representatives, UN agencies, and development partners.

 

Sources

UNV website, December 9 2012.