[afro-nets] WHO/COMBI Summer Institute

[Jove Oliver <jove.oliver@wmc.who.int>]

WHO/COMBI Summer Institute
--------------------------

The World Health Organization Mediterranean Centre, in collabo-
ration with New York University (NYU), hosts an annual three-
week summer institute on Communication-for-Behavioural Impact
(COMBI). This institute addresses a continuing global dilemma
for health and other social development professionals: finding
effective ways to encourage new behaviours and achieve behav-
ioural results.

The challenges can be found in many development sectors: health,
agriculture, girls' education, labour and the environment, juve-
nile justice and child protection. In health alone they include,
among others, preventing and controlling a range of communicable
and non-communicable diseases and health disorders; getting
children immunized; increasing the practice of family planning;
improving adolescent reproductive health; preventing the spread
of AIDS; enhancing maternal and child health; reducing drug
abuse; improving diet and nutrition; and encouraging more physi-
cal exercise. In addition, there are policy-related behavioural
outcomes which are critical such as passage of new legislation
or declaring new health policies.

In all of these, achieving behavioural impact stands out as the
critical goal. This remains a continuing challenge for social
development programs.

The 2005 institute runs from June 10 - 30 and is conducted in
New York City at NYU. For more information, please email Everold
Hosein, the course coordinator, mailto:hoseine@who.int or
mailto:everold@aol.com


Jove Oliver, Technical Officer
World Health Organization
Mediterranean Centre for Vulnerability Reduction, Tunisia
Tel: +216-719-64681 / 719-64178
Fax: +216-719-64558
GPN: 67009 / GPN Fax: 67079
mailto:jove.oliver@wmc.who.int