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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World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) - Global

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Formed in 1991, The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global network of organisations and individuals who work to protect and promote the right of breastfeeding for all children and mothers. Through information sharing and advocacy, WABA fosters cooperation at community, regional, national, and international levels between supporters of breastfeeding (grassroots geoups and individuals, UN agencies, governments, and NGOs). WABA's larger purpose is to re-establish and maintain a global breastfeeding culture that is free of obstacles that currently impede breastfeeding.
Communication Strategies
WABA provides information through documents and articles (several of which are available in French, Italian, Spanish, and English) on the WABA site. Task forces function as specialised support arms of the network to gather and disseminate this information, as well as to organise advocacy efforts:
  • Children's Nutrition Rights - a joint effort between WANAHR (World Alliance for Nutrition and Human Rights) and WABA
  • Code Compliance - promotes implementation of the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes through training, development of legislation, production of materials, and monitoring of code compliance
  • Global Participatory Action Research (GLOPAR) - produces a newsletter 3 times a year; provides materials and technical support on participatory action research; and seeks out opportunities at international or regional meetings for interested participants
  • Health Care Practices - works with NGOs to promote health care practices in hospitals and in the community that support breastfeeding
  • Mother Support Groups - promotes linking of support groups worldwide; enables these groups to train counselors; works to create the appropriate environment of awareness and support for a mother to initiate and sustain breastfeeding.
  • Research - monitors conferences, assists in research, holds regional research meetings, and disseminates and translates breastfeeding papers of the month
  • Women & Work - develops strategies to address the needs of working mothers through new legislation and efforts like the Mother-Friendly Workplace Initiative (MFWI) that help women integrate breastfeeding into their working lives. For example, an International Labour Organzation (ILO) Campaign was launched to garner respect for maternity rights in the next ILO Convention
The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), which takes place every year for one week in August, is WABA's main global campaign for social mobilisation to generate public awareness and support for breastfeeding. The 2002 theme was "Breastfeeding: Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies". WBW involves over 120 countries.
Development Issues
Children, Women, Rights, Health, Nutrition.
Key Points
WABA's work consists of the activities of the Secretariat and the task forces described above. The WABA General Assembly consists of a steering committee, regional focal points, task force coordinators and co-coordinators, and an advisory council.
Partners

UNICEF, WHO, WANAHR, ILO.

Sources

WABA site.