The Moroccan economic city of Marrakech will host the 2020 edition of the International Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit (SBCC) from March 30 to April 3, 2020.
Organisers believe that the Social and Behavior Change Communication community can unleash transformational change around some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including poverty, gender equality, protecting the planet and ensuring that all people enjoy health, peace and prosperity. They plan to use the 2020 International SBCC Summit to harness this power as people from across the globe come together to examine the most recent evidence and innovations, build on their diverse methodologies, debate their way forward and highlight successes and challenges.
In 2016, the first International SBCC Summit brought together the global community of SBCC organizations, practitioners and researchers. The Summit continued this momentum in 2018 as 1,200 participants from 93 countries came together to assess “what works,” advance SBCC as a field and accelerate development impact.
This year, participants will explore the vast potential and diversity of the field – across disciplines, development priorities and geographies, and in tandem with other development actors – to accelerate action towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
They will imagine and chart a path towards a future where their collective strength is magnified to address issues ranging from migration to Ebola, from gender discrimination and violence to infant mortality, from malaria to the climate crisis and access to justice.
The 2020 Summit, with an overarching theme of “Strength in Diversity”, will be organized around three central themes: Catalyzing transformational change on agendas of urgency; Future Forward; and Connecting the Dots.
The ever-changing world we live in requires adaptability, innovation and transformation to cope. Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as guide, participants will with the theme, catalyzing transformational change on agendas of urgency, look at how they can accelerate change in the urgent, interconnected areas of: Climate crisis and global heating; Gender equity; Community engagement and citizen action; Health access and equity; and Humanitarian action.
Sessions on this theme, will focus on: identifying underpinning catalysts – and barriers – for change; learning lessons and expanding the boundaries of SBCC; linking SBCC to structural determinants and solutions; supporting social movements and social justice initiatives; and nurturing new voices for change and building participatory dialogue, particularly young people.
The ways in which the world communicates about development and social change issues are evolving rapidly in an increasingly interconnected and mediated world. In this context, informed and engaged participation in social and behavior change, and public discourse more broadly, is essential.
Through the second theme, “Future Forward” participants will look at where the field is now and how SBCC is poised for the future in these new contexts.
Sessions will focus on: understanding and engaging with evolving digital and technological innovations; developing and promoting a code of ethics for the SBCC field; identifying new theories, frameworks and methodologies; and countering negative opposition, disinformation and fake news.
Reflecting on the strength and diversity of the SBCC constituency, the theme, “Connecting the Dots” will explore ways to further increase collaboration, skills sharing and capacity building and creative collective action within the field across different sectors, geographies and disciplines as well as across different stakeholders and across generations with a particular focus on youth.
By bringing different sectors including private sector, academia, public interest and advocacy groups, public health practitioners, governments, private foundations and donors, together – connecting the dots – real change is possible.
Through this theme, sessions will explore: optimizing our strengths for greater impact; connecting with new partners; and collective action.
Registration is online and interested persons have up till February 21, 2020 to register. To register, please visit https://sbccsummit.org/87-registration/attendees-authors-registration and complete the registration process.
