The Communication Initiative's Definitions - Development Issues

Ageing

Pertaining to the elderly and quality of life or contribution to society. Often overlaps with Population. Includes keywords/phrases: ageing, aging, elderly, seniors, aged, older people, older men, older women, older persons, ageism.

Children

Under 15 years. Includes keywords/phrases: children, kids, kid, child, infant, infants, baby, babies, minors, boy, boys, girl, girls.

Conflict

Pertaining to communities affected by civil or international war, terrorism or violence. Also refugees from such conflicts (not environmental or natural disaster refugees) and obviously linked issues such as land mines. Includes keywords/phrases: conflict, war, armed, violence, refugees, prisoners, Intifada, genocide, liberation movement, military force, civil war, terrorism, invasion, bombing, child soldier, revolution, riot, civil unrest.

Debt

Pertaining to debt relief/forgiveness, debt restructuring, structural adjustment programmes. Includes keywords/phrases: debt, indebtedness, indebted, HIPC, structural adjustment, SAPs, jubilee 2000, debt, PRSP, PRSPs, poverty reduction.

Democracy and Governance

Pertaining to elections, voting, decision-making, community leadership/voice, emergence of political/social movements, expansion of rights and freedoms, constitutional development. Often linked to Rights. Includes keywords/phrases: political development, politics, elections, voting, political, democratic development, democracy, corruption, governance, press freedom, freedom of information, egovernance.

Development Assistance

Pertaining to funding organisations, levels of funding provided from aid agencies and governments towards development, and flows of aid from north to south. Includes keywords/phrases: development assistance, ODA, bilateral aid, development aid, development funding, multilateral aid.

Economic Development

Pertaining to small business planning and implementation, micro-enterprise, infrastructure development, economic planning and strategy. Includes keywords/phrases: economic development, micro-enterprise, business, private sector, financing, banks, markets, economies in transition, community economic development, enterprise, trade, ethical investment, gross domestic product, GDP, poverty.

Education

Pertaining to education through Academic Institutions. Note - this is not pertaining to training workshops or conferences or training sessions within initiatives. Education specifically has to do with issues of organised schooling or lack thereof. Includes keywords/phrases: education, schools, schooling, school, curriculum, teacher, teachers, pupil, pupils, student, students, university, college, polytechnic, learning, universities, colleges, curricula.

Environment

Pertaining to protection or degradation of the natural environment, recycling, often overlaps with Agriculture. Includes keywords/phrases: climate, water, habitat, global warming, pollution, natural, forestation, deforestation, desertification, conservation, ecotourism, environmental.

Gender

Having to do with male/female cultural and power relation issues. Not just women's issues - also when something is specifically targeted to men and their perceptions and beliefs. Includes keywords/phrases: gender, women's rights, girl's rights, female genital mutilation, FGM, prostitution, trafficking in women and girls, domestic violence.

Health

Pertaining to general issues of health - specific diseases, etc. However, if just HIV/AIDS related, then just included under HIV/AIDS, and the same with Immunisation and Vaccines. Includes keywords/phrases: health, measles, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, cancer, vitamin, STD, treatment, exercise, acute respiratory illness, ARI, direct observation treatment short course, DOTS, polio, mental, malaria, disability, sanitation, obesity, disease, diseases, asthma, child mortality, cholera, diphtheria, ebola, infant feeding, infant mortality, iodine, leprosy, plague, rotavirus, suicide, typhoid, injuries, whooping cough, blood safety, child morbidity, child abuse, diarrhea, obstetric, hepatitis, infant morbidity, injection safety, lassa, maternal mortality, meningitis, substance abuse, tetanus, varicella.

HIV/AIDS

Pertaining to the virus and disease, treatment, education, advocacy, and social and economic impacts. Includes keywords/phrases: hiv, aids, hiv/aids, anti-retroviral drugs, mother-to-child-transmission, MTCT, PMTCT, PWAs, PWLAs, sex trade workers, AIDS stigma, sex worker, sex workers, condoms.

Immunisation and Vaccines

Pertaining to childhood immunisations, basic vaccinations, safe injections. Includes keywords/phrases: immunisation, immunization, vaccine, safe injection, polio, diphtheria, Pertussis, tetanus, measles, Haemophilus influenzae b, Hib, hepatitis, yellow fever, pneumococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, rotavirus, meningococcal A/C conjugate, malaria, immunology, immunise, immunize, vaccinate, vaccination.

Natural Resource Management

Pertaining to rural development and livelihoods, crop/livestock sustainability, fisheries, and productivity. Includes keywords/phrases: natural resource management, agriculture, rural development, farming, farms, crops, fishing, fishery, aquaculture, natural resource management, horticulture, horticultural, forestry, forests, food security, hunger, famine, water, food sovereignty.

New Technologies

Pertaining to new technology development, using new technologies to further social development/change, or old technologies in new ways. Also appropriate technology often related to Agriculture. Includes keywords/phrases: computers, computer, internet, software, hardware, telecenters, telecenter, information and communication technologies, ICTs, cell phones, satellite communications, mobile phones, telecottage, telecottages, telekiosk, telekiosks, cybercafe, cybercafes, internet cafe.

Nutrition

Of or related to nutrition. Usually linked to Health. Includes keywords/phrases: nutrition, vitamin, diet, essential nutrients, recommended dietary allowances, obesity, malnutrition, micronutrients, hunger, starvation.

Population

Pertaining to population control, over/under-population, fertility rates. Includes keywords/phrases: population, fertility, birth spacing, abortion, one child policy, demography, demographics, urban drift, urbanisation, family planning.

Reproductive Health

Includes keywords/phrases: family planning, reproductive, birth, birthing, sexual health, motherhood, maternal, birth control, condom, female condom, birth control pill, IUD, abortion, midwives, midwife, pregnant, pregnancy, emergency obstetric care, EOC, traditional birth attendant, TBAs, contraception, midwifery, prenatal, postnatal.

Rights

Human rights. Often linked to Children, Women, Conflict, or Democracy/Governance. Includes keywords/phrases: rights, law, legal system, persecution, torture, slavery, child labour, justice, courts, immigration, basic right, freedom, freedoms, liberty, refugee, refugees, migration.

Risk Management

Pertaining to communication for the prevention of and aid in times of need due to environmental, natural or "man" made disasters. Includes keywords/phrases: emergency, disaster, flood, famine, tsunami, tidal wave, earthquake, volcano, drought, crisis, fire, hurricane, typhoon, tornado, cyclone, emergencies.

Tobacco

Pertaining to smoking, lung cancer due to tobacco, and the tobacco industry. Includes keywords/phrases: tobacco, smoke, smokes, smoking, cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, framework convention on tobacco control, FCTC, nicotine, lung cancer, anti-tobacco, smokefree, smoked.

Women

Includes keywords/phrases: women, females, gender rights, gender gap, women's rights, female, women's.

Youth

15 to 25 years. Includes keywords/phrases: youth, adolescent, young people, adolescence, teenagers, teenager, minors, adolescents, youths.