Global Nutrition Cluster

Communication & advocacy

© UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0242/Duvillier

Advocacy strategy

Advocacy can be defined as the deliberate process, based on demonstrated evidence, to directly and indirectly influence decision makers, stakeholders and relevant audiences to support and implement actions that contribute to the fulfilment of an individual's rights.

The Global Nutrition Cluster and Action Against Hunger UK are currently developing an advocacy strategy for the GNC. The initial meeting was held on 28th August 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland and a first draft on possible objectives, targets and opportunities at global level and possibilities for advocacy at national level for consultation with members of the GNC and partners is currently under development. This initiative will develop advocasy strategy of GNC and countly nutrition clusters, tips on speaking about and presenting on nutrition in emergency, glossary of nutrition in emergency terms, communication and advocacy tips and how to communicate on NiE and Nutrition cluster issues.

Infoasaid message library

Infoasaid's message library is an online searchable database of messages that acts as a reference for those wanting to disseminate critical information to affected populations in an emergency. It has been developed in collaboration with a number of different clusters/sectors in humanitarian response including Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Nutrition, Food Security, Protection, Education and Camp Coordination Camp Management. The message library can be used both as a disaster preparedness tool and following the outbreak of an emergency. If used in the correct way, the library should help improve communication with crisis-affected populations.

Infoasaid e-learning

The infoasaid e-learning course aims to raise awareness about the key components of effective communication with crisis-affected communities and to build knowledge and skills on how to communicate in practice.
The course is divided into five modules. The first two introduce learners to the course and the key concepts it covers. The remaining three modules are interactive, scenario-based challenges and involve learners having to make key decisions to do with communication during an earthquake, a post conflict situation and a hurricane/flood. The modules are divided up as follows: how to use this course, why communication matters, knowing your target audience, crafting and adapting messages, and communication: a two way process.

Diagnostic tools

In order to assess information needs and set up a communication strategy with disaster-affected communities, Infoasaid  designed the following set of diagnostic tools to support community and audience profiling, information needs and access assessments, communication strategy development and feasibility assessments related to different channels of communication:

• Community profiling
• Questions for information needs and access assessments
• Radio feasibility assessment checklist
• TV feasibility assessment checklist
• Frontline sms and Infoasaid: assessing the mobile environment
• Characteristics of different channels of communication
• Emergency preparedness and response checklist for communication
• Communication strategy template
• Generic M&E framework

Media guides

The online guides developed by Infoasaid provide comprehensive and detailed information on the media and telecommunications landscape in a country. The guides can serve as a useful preparedness tool. In the immediate aftermath of an emergency, an information needs and access assessment can be undertaken in order to verify whether the channels of communication outlined in the guide are still functioning. Twenty guides were developed by January 2013, by the end of the project, guides will be developed for 22 countries at risk of both natural disasters and conflict or both.