Communication 4 Development

Issues

The village chief of N'Goumouni, a small village in central Mali, listens to the radio. His community benefits from UNICEF-supported activities implemented by the local NGO Mali Enjeu to prevent child trafficking.

UNICEF Mali views Communication for Development (C4D) as a systematic, planned and evidence-informed strategic process to promote positive and measurable behaviour and social change that is integral to the implementation of the national and UNICEF response to improve the lives of children and women throughout the life cycle.

C4D in Mali aims at facilitating dialogue and community engagement so that children, families and communities have access to information, skills, technologies they need to make informed choices; reach their full potential; participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives and realize their rights.

The mission of C4D, recently integrated in the Country Programme, is to collaborate with various partners and social networks to harness the power of communication for behavioural and social change. These partners include community leaders, traditional communicators (griots), service providers, NGO/CBO, the media (mainly local radio), street theatre groups, digital and outdoor cinema and new technologies.

A woman talks on the phone in the village of Guivago in Mopti Region. She has a traditional Fulani Peul facial tattoo around her lips.

UNICEF Mali supports the Government in defining its national policy guidelines and in the implementation of programmes under these policies. As regards C4D, UNICEF has helped to prepare the National Communication for Development Policy (PNCD) which serves as national reference framework for all interventions in this area.

Thus the PNCD is considered as a key tool for satisfying the aspirations of the Malian people towards participating in making decisions that affect them, adopting positive individual and collective behavior, and improving the welfare of all citizens - men, women and children, without exception – while respecting their fundamental rights.

Its general principles are:

• provide a coherent reference framework that is open-ended and flexible for all national partners and external stakeholders, with due regard for the sovereignty of the State of Mali;
• create a climate of confidence for concerted action in addressing major national issues;
• promote achievement of the results of MDGs, GPRSF and sector development policies;
• enhance and promote dialogue, cooperation, transparency and equity;
• integrate and enhance the culture and aspirations of the Malian people.

The general objectives of the PNCD are to:

• promote the policy of inclusion and participation of the population in the definition and implementation of major development projects of the country, including Malians abroad;
• promote strategies for dialogue and consultation, rather than vertical communication strategies, for all development stakeholders;
• support initiatives at the grassroots level in various development sectors, and echo the voices of the communities in policy discussions;
• enable all those who have the responsibility to communicate or introduce innovations in the various development sectors to have the knowledge and skills of Communication for Development.

In addition, the PNCD should participate in consolidating democratic, institutional and political gains, including citizens’ awareness of their rights and duties, and Government’s awareness of its responsibilities and authority.

Its specific objectives are to:

• contribute to achievement of the MDGs;
• contribute to implementation of the GPRSF;
• contribute to implementation of sector development policies and programmes and governance, especially at local level.

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