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Medellín and SBCC at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) - Part I of II

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Author: Adelaida Trujillo Caicedo, April 18 2019 - I love New York and being Colombian - even more so if it's summertime. Well, it was certainly hot and intense during the weeks of July 9th to 20th 2018 around the United Nations (UN), one of New York's most emblematic sites on the East River and 44th Street! United States (US) President Trump's controversial comments about the UN System, NATO allies and Russia, and the US illegal immigrants' children helped raise the temperature! And my "angst", too: our countries depend, whether we like it or not, on the US' and international cooperation policies and agreements. I was participating in the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and supporting a side event organised by the Global Alliance for Social and Behaviour Change - Building Informed and Engaged Societies.

The HLPF is a space supported by the ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council), the multi-stakeholder platform for follow-up and review of the UN 2030 Agenda. This is the opportunity to open up discussion and debate on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the member countries' implementation challenges, as well as to share innovations and experiences. A "Tower of Babel" gathers around the UN compounds: technocrats, experts and decision-makers, leading foundations, academics and researchers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), US and global activists, youth and First Nations' groups, students, volunteers, and the odd ones lobbying their entry into the main UN building....All hectically mingle with representatives of governments who volunteer to present their country's progress on the SDGs.

The VNR (Voluntary National Reports) are combined with hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of side events, meetings, and conversations supported by UN country missions, where ideas, initiatives, and lessons learned are shared. I have to confess I often wonder whether these global events, which entail so much effort and resources, actually make a difference on the ground, not only at the national level. I mean "down there" in the municipalities, in the vulnerable rural communities where change needs to happen with or without the international development "experts", the big donors calling the shots, or the cooperation funds (which seem to flow mainly through the New York, Washington, DC, Geneva circuit to keep this development industry going!).

Having said that, I have no doubt the HLPF provides an advocacy opportunity for the social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) field and a space to share the policy issues prioritised by the Global Alliance for Social and Behaviour Change - Building Informed and Engaged Societies, created in 2018 to advance the scale, quality, impact, and sustainability of communication for development (C4D), media for development, social change, and behavioural change strategies that are at the core of the SDGs' "people-centred" framework. It is worth noting that, as there remains no process at present for effectively integrating the opportunities and strategies offered by SBCC into the 2030 development agenda (e.g., the UN Inter-Agency Round Table on C4D, which deserves another blog...!), testing the HLPF waters was critical. So, attracting key people from the multicultural, competitive HLPF crowd was one of the main challenges for RAISED HANDS, the first Global Alliance advocacy event at the HLPF, focused on Cities (SDG 11), Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), and Partnerships (SDG 17).

The agenda - see The CI's summary below, with my highlights in bold - was strategically designed by the Global Alliance's Interim Secretariat: Rafael Obregon (UNICEF) and Warren Feek (The Communication Initiative - The CI) in coordination with the group of Alliance members who engage in its Policy & Advocacy Cluster. With presentations from Federico Restrepo (former Planning Secretary of Medellín, 2004-2007) and Michael Emerson Gnilo (UNICEF water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) specialist), the purpose of RAISED HANDS was threefold: "[1] Share the informed and engaged societies strategies that have reduced poverty levels by 86% and murder levels by 85% in the city of Medellín, Colombia. [2] Share UNICEF experience with participatory behavior change strategies to mobilize communities to build their own toilets and stop open defecation that led to increased access to toilets and improved child growth in the Mali context...as well as recent findings on the importance of fidelity and adherence for health impacts in WASH in school interventions...[and 3] Discuss and debate enhancing the role and contribution of social change, behavior change, informed and engaged societies strategies for more effective and quicker progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. ..."

SBCC perspectives recognise the central concept of partnership-based approaches in development, and these issues were included thanks to thought-provoking chairing from Global Alliance partners James Deane (Policy Director of BBC Media Action) and Doug Storey's comments (Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs). And the conversation on the Global Alliance as an example of partnership building (SDG 17) chaired by Lisa Hilmi (CORE Group) with Rafael and Sohini Battacharya (Breakthrough India) "connected the dots" and underlined the relevance of SBCC, C4D, and the informed and engaged societies approach as central to the SDGs.

Side note: Right before our "inaugural moment" - July 17th from 3 to 5 pm - it was impossible to ignore the buzz at One UN Plaza and the Millennium Hotel (where RAISED HANDS was held), strategically located across from the UN's main building. Sniffing dogs and big bodyguards escorting country leaders with strict security protocols (which reminded me of violent years in Colombia) were mixed with people running from country missions and UN offices to UNICEF's James Grant outdoor garden, as they grasped for fresh air and free WiFi with a shot of caffeine from Mona's coffee shop next door running through their veins. With almost 100 people registered online, translation coordinated, and the Colombian mission's ambassador right on time, we were ready to go. But...suddenly, a huge thunderstorm!!! The pouring rain, which reminded me of the tropics, kept a few dozen from making it across the street. But a very decent crowd of 60+ (some drenched!) stayed and engaged right till the end.

Below are links to CI summaries of RAISED HANDS and Federico's and Michael's presentations:

Epilogue: Rain-drenched, I did not recognize Carolina Diaz, high-level decision maker at the Colombian Foreign Ministry, in charge of the SDGs. Excited by RAISED HANDS' focus on Medellín's experience, she fully agreed with the connections between the SDGs and communication, pointed out by the Global Alliance partners.

Editor's note: Click here to continue reading Part II of this blog.

As with all of the blogs posted on our website, the content above does not imply the endorsement of The CI or its Partners and is from the perspective of the writer alone. We do not check facts and strive to retain the writer's voice, as is detailed in our Editorial Policy.

Adelaida Trujillo is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and communication practitioner from Colombia, with 30+ years of expertise in TV and +10 in edutainment. Since 2000, she has directed The Communication Initiative Latin America (CILA) and, in 2018, supported The CI's Secretariat role in the Global Alliance and was part of the 2018 SBCC Summit's Steering Committee.