The ABCs of SBC – Details, episodes & analysis

Systems - you may not see them or feel them but they’re there. When vaccines feel out of reach or voting too arduous a task, it means our systems may need some TLC, R&D and perhaps, SBC?

If you’ve ever wondered about the systems that get vaccines to your arm, mail to your door, and food on your plate - this episode is for you. Qali speaks with Vincent Petit, Global Lead of Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) at UNICEF on why SBC is key to strengthening our systems and preparing for the crises to come. 

Resources (in order of mention)

• Pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: an exploratory analysis of infection and fatality rates, and contextual factors associated with preparedness in 177 countries, from Jan 1, 2020, to Sept 30, 2021
• System Strengthening

Keep an eye our for the launch of UNICEF SBC’s upcoming magazine on sbcguidance.org or follow Vincent on LinkedIn for updates.

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

Every year, world leaders convene at the UN Climate Change Conference to discuss the urgency of climate change and the need for equitable, people-centred solutions. Could Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) have the chops to tackle such a massive challenge? Can SBC shed some light on the age-old debate on individual change versus system change to reduce emissions? 

In this episode, Qali speaks with experts to understand what SBC can tell us about how to navigate an issue that affects us all, but certainly not in the same ways. 

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Mónica Wills-Silva, Director of International Programmes EMEA at the Behavioural Insights Team
• Kash Ramli, Senior Advisor for Behavioral Science at UNICEF
• Xaher Gul, Public Health Physician and Development Practitioner
• Jon Bonifacio, Environmental Activist and National Coordinator of Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment
• Georgina Avlonitis, Urban Ecologist and Programme Manager at UNEP

Resources (in order of mention)

• Climate Change Fact sheet (WHO)
• António Guterres’s Speech at COP27
• How to build a Net Zero society
• William Ruto’s Speech at COP28
• Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) strategies have a proven track record in influencing positive choices, from healthy eating to civic engagement. But what about a deeply entrenched and nuanced social issue like violence against girls, boys and women.

In this episode, we delve into the complexities of this issue and explore existing SBC interventions working to dismantle these harmful norms. Join Qali on a journey from Honduras to South Africa, as she dives deep into the trenches with experts who are on the ground, working to address the root causes of domestic violence.

Please be advised: There will be mentions of violence throughout this episode.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Mónica Wills-Silva, Director of International Programmes EMEA at the Behavioural Insights Team
• Garth Japhet, CEO of Heartlines
• Laura de Molière, former Head of Behavioural Science for the UK Government’s Cabinet Office

Resources (in order of mention)

• Combatting gender-based violence during the pandemic
• Promoting help-seeking behaviours among survivors of violence in Central America
• Reducing victim dropout in criminal proceedings in Chile
• Groundbreaking research on WhatsApp chatbot to reduce intimate partner violence published in PLOS
• Heartlines 
• Soul City
• Fathers Matter 
• Fathers Matter Film Series 
• Fathers Matter WhatsApp

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

Sure, Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) can help people make healthier food choices and complete important civic processes like voting or registration. But what can SBC do in moments of duress? When conflict erupts? When a natural disaster strikes? When a new virus breaks loose? Does SBC have a role to play in a rapidly unfolding emergency? Can it serve and protect the communities most affected by these emergencies?

In this episode, Qali speaks to SBC practitioners who have responded to emergencies from Lebanon to Mozambique to understand whether SBC can truly serve vulnerable populations in humanitarian emergencies.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Luca Solimeo, Chief of Social and Behaviour Change at UNICEF Lebanon
• Xaher Gul, Public Health Physician and Development Practitioner 
• Mónica Wills-Silva, Director of International Programmes EMEA at the Behavioural Insights Team
• Naureen Naqvi, Lead SBC Specialist in Humanitarian Action at UNICEF
• Mariana Palavra, Social and Behaviour Change Specialist - Emergency Response Team (ERT) at UNICEF

Resources (in order of mention)

• Leveraging behavioural insights to build lasting peace - BIT Radio Shows in Northern Nigeria
• Mozambique: Supporting social mobilizers to reach affected communities with life-saving information 
• Attacks on Health Workers During the 10th Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Bringing safer burial rituals to Ebola outbreak countries
• How the Fight Against Ebola Tested a Culture’s Traditions
• UNICEF’s SBC in Emergencies tools 

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) brings together a variety of tools to shift the way people and societies behave. When applied to policy, it’s helped reduce traffic deaths. When brought into clinics, it’s helped tuberculosis patients complete their treatments. When brought to US college campuses, it can even help explain why students won’t stop binge drinking. In this episode, Qali speaks to SBC practitioners at UNICEF and beyond about behavioural theory and the power of social norms and how to leverage them for positive change.

More resources on Antanas Mockus:

• Academic turns city into a social experiment
• Women party as city's men are curfewed
• The ‘Cop in your Head’ or the Clown in the Street: Antanas Mockus and the Theatre of Civic Culture 

Guests

• Mónica Wills-Silva, Director of International Programmes EMEA at the Behavioural Insights Team
• Xaher Gul, Public Health Physician and Development Practitioner 
• Naureen Naqvi, Lead SBC Specialist in Humanitarian Action at UNICEF
• Laura de Molière, former Head of Behavioural Science for the UK Government’s Cabinet Office
• Deborah Prentice, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 

Resources

• Tuberculosis in Moldova - UNDP
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed
• Exposing Pluralistic Ignorance to Reduce Alcohol Use Among College Students
• Statistics on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Social Norms Tool

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

The ABCs of SBC is a new podcast from UNICEF that explores what Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) is and whether it can move the needle forward on some of the world's most complex challenges. Tune in weekly to uncover the limits and possibilities of SBC  — without the complexity, while on your commute.
 
Stay tuned for the first episode launching March 18th.

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

How can we adapt SBC approaches to speak to the different cultures and languages of the people we serve? For example, what does human-centred design look like in Indigenous communities, where writing and drawing are uncommon modes of communication?

In this episode we dig into one of SBC’s superpowers—to connect with communities, unearth local insights and drive solutions rooted in what people value and how they operate. In this episode, Qali speaks with SBC practitioners in South Sudan, Nicaragua and Afghanistan to explore what localization looks like in action.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Gema Espinoza, SBC officer at UNICEF Nicaragua
• Emma Mafara, SBC specialist at UNICEF South Sudan
• Rahmatullah Niazmal, SBC Specialist at UNICEF Afghanistan

Resources (in order of mention)

• SBC WORKS! Using the Behavioural and Social Driver Model to Address Gender Inequity for COVID-19 Vaccination in South Sudan
• HCD4health
• Guía de Reflexiones Bíblicas para el cuidado de la Infancia y las Familias
• Finding the Missing Link: Improving Vaccination Coverage in Zero Dose Communities
• Grandmothers for the greater good, UNICEF Afghanistan
• A polio survivor working against all odds to save lives for others, UNICEF South Sudan
• Integrated Community Mobilization Network, UNICEF South Sudan
• Reimagining Progress (p.60) in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

How do you say hello? Do you shake hands? Do you give a kiss on either cheek? Do you bend at the waist to give a bow? These gestures are automatic. We may not even notice we do them at all.  

This episode is about Social Norms, the unwritten rules that dictate everything we do - from how we greet each other to how we raise and view our children. Can Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) help protect children from harmful practices held together by deeply entrenched social norms? 

In this episode, Qali speaks with experts who have dedicated their lives to researching and working with communities to prevent harmful practices upheld by social norms.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Zemzem Shikur, Child Protection Specialist and Focal Point for Community Engagement at UNICEF Ethiopia
• Dr. Ben Cislaghi, Humanising Development Collective and Child Frontiers
• Joyce Odame, Child Protection Officer and SBC Focal Point for Community Engagement at UNICEF Ghana 
• Josue Ango, Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Burkina Faso

Resources (in order of mention + more!)

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), UNICEF Data
• Using social norms theory for health promotion in low-income countries
• Directoriate engages Communities on child Marriage
• See Married off in Mozambique (pg. 20) and Talking in Circles (pg. 24) for interventions that deal with social norms in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine
• Social Norms Tool
• For an easy overview of social norms are and are not, see Defining Social Norms and Related Concepts (UNICEF, 2021)
  • English
  • French

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

It is estimated that globally, 1 in 7 young people between 10 and 19-year-old experience mental health conditions that remain largely unrecognized and untreated. How can something so prevalent often remain invisible? What can SBC do to bring mental health forward and connect those struggling with the support they need? 

In this episode, Qali speaks with experts working to improve Mental Health and Psychosocial Support across Africa. Listen in to see what methods, interventions and priorities are driving mental health programmes in societies where challenges such as stigma take precedent.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Sergiy Prokhorov, SBC Specialist, Previously UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
• Joanne Lee, Mental Health Specialist, UNICEF ESARO
• Bhai Shelly, SBC Specialist, UNICEF Rwanda

Resources (in order of mention)

• Mental health of adolescents, World Health Organization
• Concern grows in Kenya after alarming rise in suicide cases, The Guardian
• UNICEF SBC Toolkit for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
• Talking in Circles (pg. 24) in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI), a global initiative to get vaccines to every child, everywhere. While much progress has been made over the last 50 years, there is still much more work to be done to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all.

In this episode, Qali speaks with immunisation experts to understand what Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) can bring to the challenge of reaching everyone and navigating vaccination in a world still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Francine Ganter Restrepo, SBC Specialist, Immunisation and Health, UNICEF East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
• Heidi Larson, Founder and Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project
• Dr. Saad Omer, Dean, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health

Resources (in order of mention)

• Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, UNICEF Armenia
• NYHQ ED Russell World Immunization Week 2024
• 50th Anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization
• Finding the missing link: Improving vaccination coverage in zero dose communities with human-centred design, UNICEF 
  • Final Report
  • Executive Summary
• Humanly Possible: Immunization for all, UNICEF
• SBC in Support of System Strengthening

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.