Almost 20 years. Created in the wake of the World Congress on Communication for Development organized by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the World Bank in Rome in 2006, Com4Dev has been reinventing itself ever since, to move from a different kind of communication to more equitable cooperation.
For another communication
Born of a small group of people who practiced communication that gave value to the voiceless, the association gradually grew stronger around “communication for development”, questioning both the notion of communication and the notion of development. This process of reflection, structured around annual Summer Universities, has led to the development of common tools (such as a training program and a shared theory of change), and to the launch of numerous projects. It has also enabled members of the collective to better support the organizations that have placed their trust in us. Whether in project engineering, strategic thinking or knowledge management, with numerous capitalization projects. The aim is to achieve greater impact at all levels of international cooperation.
At the end of the covid period, the Com4Dev collective wanted to open up even further by seeking out peer organizations to start building a more diversified network. These exchanges are reflected in the international “Fair cooperation” meetings held in October 2025, which will now be organized every 2 years as part of the Montpellier Euro-Africa Biennial.
For fairer cooperation
Com4Dev’s actions and methods are clearly geared to working towards renewed international cooperation, with more equitable partnerships, narratives that deconstruct stereotypical narratives (on Africa in particular) that fuel inward-looking policies, and networks that enable several organizations to share their knowledge and act together.
To mark this evolution, Com4Dev has decided to revamp its website to share more resources, produce manuals (coming soon!), organize more discussion forums and give itself a makeover to show its coming-of-age. It’s a new period that we’re approaching with confidence, as a collective committed to a fairer, more sustainable planet.