LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO March 2024 | Issue 2 TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES MAIN TAKEAWAYS BACKGROUND a. Effective SBCC campaigns rely on behavioral Gender roles, society, and norms are important diagnostics to identify discrete gender norms levers to promote greater economic participation and tailor messages accordingly. Cultural among women. sensitivity, including the selection of trusted and relatable personas, is crucial to avoid backlash Female labor force participation (FLFP) in Mashreq and reinforcing undesirable gender norms. countries is notably low, with only 15 percent of women in Jordan and 11 percent of women in Iraq b. Quality of creative production is essential for engaged in employment or job-search (World Bank, enhancing the impact of evidence-informed World Development Indicators 2021 data). Lebanon messages. Well-produced content increases has a relatively higher FLFP rate at 29 percent, but audience engagement and messenger credibility. all three countries are significantly below the global c. Nation-wide behavioral change requires FLFP rate of 47 percent. Challenges contributing targeted efforts by a range of actors, to low FLFP in Mashreq countries include limited including government agencies, civil society access to affordable childcare, unequal pay, and organizations, and public figures who champion transportation issues such as access and safety. the campaign messages. This collaboration Structural constraints for women are exacerbated ensures integration with broader national by gender norms, perceptions of acceptable policy priorities and extends the reach of working hours, workplace composition, caregiving communication efforts to local communities. expectations, and safety concerns in public spaces (Gauri, Rahman & Sen 2019, Arab Barometer 2022, d. Social media is a cost-effective way of Redaelli et al. 2023). To boost women’s labor force reaching wide audiences, but it won’t reach participation, the Mashreq Gender Facility (MGF) vulnerable communities and cannot guarantee collaborates with government partners to leverage sustained behavior change without efforts Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) to institutionalize content in educational to transform gender attitudes hindering women’s materials. Internet penetration in Mashreq is inclusion in local economies and reshape behaviors 75%, with just 55% social media users in Iraq related to gender roles and women’s labor market and Jordan (Kemp 2023a; 2023b; 2023c). Poor engagement. households have limited access. Social media campaigns need complementing materials like school curricula and workshops, institutionalizing gender-transformative content in education and communities. e. One-off SBCC campaigns alone are insufficient to address restrictive gender norms. SBCC campaigns are an effective tool in optimizing structural reform and cultivating an enabling social environment for the uptake of such reforms. For instance, a women’s employment program could be more effective in ensuring uptake if accompanied by a campaign underscoring the importance of women’s contribution to economic productivity and national development goals. 1 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES In the last decade, the power of media and & Sen 2019; Sen et al. 2022; Ismail, Qarout & Sen entertainment has been harnessed to provide 2023). Moreover, studies like the World Values Survey more educational content that addresses gaps (WVS), the Arab Barometer, and El-Feki et al.’s (2018) in knowledge about critical issues such health, masculinity study by UN Women and Equimundo in education, social cohesion, and elections. Broadcast Lebanon and the study by UN Women (2022) in Jordan and digital media, including TV, radio, print and online point to the prevalence of gender attitudes that media, can transform attitudes, beliefs and norms. confine women to domestic roles and working only if Despite the promise financial need was a driver. Both broadcast and social of media in promoting media have sought to counter restrictive norms, and gender equality, global Social and Behavior SBCC campaigns are increasingly used for this. media monitoring Change Communication reports highlight the (SBCC) employs The SBCC trend has not left Mashreq countries underrepresentation communication behind. Social media campaigns have the potential of women in news and techniques rooted in the of reaching wide audiences in the region; in 2023, certain topical coverage principles of behavioral 91 percent of the population in Lebanon were social such as politics, the labor science to effectively media users; this rate was 58 percent in Jordan and market, and sciences, as shape and enhance 57 percent in Iraq (Kemp 2023a, 2023b, 2023c). well as overrepresentation the understanding, Capitalizing on this, NGOs and governments alike have of women in traditional beliefs, and societal launched close to 100 campaigns in the last decade and stereotypical roles conventions held by or so in Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.1 These campaigns and settings such as individuals, institutions, have predominantly targeted issues related to GBV, the home, fashion and and communities including intimate partner violence, economic violence, makeup, charity, etc., (Manning et al, 2020). legal discrimination and harassment. Fewer efforts especially in Arab states have tackled gender norms related to women’s work (GMMP 2020). and sharing of childcare responsibilities. More recently, entertaining educational content — Under the Mashreq Gender Facility (MGF) in Jordan, referred to as edutainment — has been leveraged Lebanon and Iraq, the World Bank’s Mind, Behavior to transform gender norms in developing countries, and Development Unit (eMBeD) and MGF country but not enough has been done on women’s work. teams have been working closely with government Documentaries and soap operas have been proven partners to design, test, implement and monitor SBCC effective at positively transforming attitudes campaigns targeting gender attitudes and behaviors towards Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and sexual related to women’s work and responsibilities at home and reproductive health in Sub-Saharan Africa and with the long-term goal of encouraging more women India (Banerjee, La Ferrara & Orozco 2019). Such to join the labor force. Two behaviorally informed content is one example of SBCC interventions that use campaign videos were produced in each country with communication tools to promote positive behaviors. key messages focusing on women’s work and the Systematic reviews of SBCC interventions have sharing of household and childcare responsibilities highlighted gaps in the existing literature around between men and women. tackling gender norms to encourage more women to join the labor force, especially in low - and middle - income countries (Nasruddin 2021, Jayachandran 2021, Boudet et al. 2023). What are gender norms and how can they be transformed? Gender norms are expectations regarding the appropriate roles and actions men and women should perform in a given context and can shape individual beliefs about gender roles and traits (Bicchieri 2006; Boudet et al. 2023, Cislaghi & Heise 2020). In Mashreq countries, studies on FLFP suggest that gender norms are in fact correlated with women’s 1 These findings are based on a desk-review conducted by the World Bank’s MGF team in 2020-2021. The findings have not work status and willingness to work (Gauri, Rahman, been published but are available upon request. 2 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES INTRODUCING SBCC CAMPAIGNS TO CHANGE showcasing that a negative norm is widespread within GENDER NORMS RELATED TO FLFP a community (White, Stackhouse & Argo 2018). In each of the Mashreq countries, a sequenced The diagnostic phase included a combination of approach was followed to design and implement SBCC primary and secondary data review. In Jordan and campaigns in partnership with government agencies Lebanon, the teams conducted a series of qualitative working on gender-related issues: formative research, along with a secondary literature 1. Conduct and validate behavioral diagnostic to review of survey findings from national and purposive samples. For each of the countries, the team reviewed identify gender norms to target. data on gender attitudes from the World Values 2. Design and produce SBCC. Survey (WVS), the Arab Barometer, the World Bank 3. Test and revise the content to maximize social norms studies in Jordan (2019), KRI (2022), and e ffe c t i ve n e s s . Iraq (2023) and the IMAGES Masculinity surveys by UN 4. Disseminate and monitor outreach. Women and Equimundo (2018). Step 1: Behavioral diagnostic to identify the gender In Lebanon and Jordan, the team organized a series attitudes and norms to be addressed of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with adult men and women across various demographics to better Tailoring interventions to the context and respecting understand beliefs and expectations about women’s cultural nuances is important for the success of any work, role at home and the kinds of message framings initiative. A behavioral diagnostic is a crucial tool that could convince men to change their mindsets. in determining the primary desired results of any In Lebanon, the qualitative research helped identify campaign, as it identifies barriers to desired attitudes the primary audience for the campaign, including the and behaviors and guides the selection of messages types of psychological and behavioral barriers that the to address them. The diagnostic also provides the campaign would address. local data and a nuanced cultural understanding with regards to, for example, notions of respect, family honor For the MGF SBCC campaigns, a behavioral framework and reputation, masculinity, and deference to elders was developed to organize the diagnostic based on the that are instrumental to build on to avoid backlash three main drivers of behavior posited by the COM-B with the targeted communities. It is important to model, which is grounded in theoretical and empirical avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative norms by evidence on social and behavior change: Capability, highlighting the prevalence of undesirable behaviors or Opportunity, and Motivation. An example of this exercise from Jordan can be found in Table 1. Table 1: Example (simplified) diagnostic of barriers to men sharing household responsibilities and childcare with women based on COM-B model, Jordan CAPABILITY OPPORTUNITY MOTIVATION Men have low confidence in Men do not know the true scale Men have mental models of what their ability to impact childhood of men who actually carry out men and women ought to do at development in the same way that household tasks and childcare/ home (men secure finances and mothers impact it. development responsibilities. women raise children). Men are afraid of losing family values if gender roles in the Men have internalized society’s household shifted and women were Men do not know the role of perception of their ability to less involved at home. fathers is as important as the role effectively boost child development of mothers. relative to mothers. Men believe that there is little social acceptance of men taking on household chores and childcare. 3 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES Step 2: Design and Produce SBCC Campaigns | Messenger: which persona or public figure possesses highest credibility and legitimacy The diagnostic of key behavioral drivers of prevailing among target audience with regards to the gender attitudes and unequal gender roles led to messages being promoted? Who influences the development of campaign messages. These whom among the target audiences? Do these messages were then translated into creative content individuals embody traits that men and/or by the production firms, in close consultation with the women admire? government. Annex 1 details the attitudes and norms identified for each of the SBCC interventions in the | Format: which type of content is most suitable Mashreq countries based on the diagnostic, including for the messages being promoted and for the the behavioral mechanisms leveraged to address them. audience targeted: videos, still images, text- based messages, audios, etc.? Across the Mashreq countries, SBCC campaigns were | Duration: which length is most effective in designed and implemented to achieve key indicators ensuring content is actively consumed and in national women’s economic empowerment action impactful? plans. The campaigns were led nationally by the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), | Dosage: how many times does the target the National Commission for Lebanese Women audience need to be exposed to the content to (NCLW), the High Council of Women’s Development effectively change their attitudes and behaviors? (HCWD) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and How much exposure is needed for medium- and the Women’s Empowerment Directorate (WED) in the long-term impact? federal government of Iraq. | Sequence: if there are multiple types of content, what is the most effective sequence of exposure Prioritization, Message Development, and Testing: that could yield to highest impact? Once the audience was defined, prioritization became pivotal. This step involved identifying key issues, | Uptake and drop-out: what rate of attrition developing compelling messages tailored to address should be expected? What kind of dissemination them, and subjecting these messages to rigorous strategies and boosting investments should be testing before the roll-out of the campaign. made to maximize not just campaign outreach, but also consumption? Creative Direction and Production: Insights gathered from government partnerships and audience research converged to shape visually compelling and culturally relevant content for the target audience. This step also encompassed the selection of appropriate channels, influencers, and mediums to maximize the campaign’s impact. It is important that the creative direction be adapted to the target audience, embedding culturally relevant ideas that could start the conversation around transforming gender norms. To decide what kind of content to produce, it is imperative to understand which design and dissemination questions need to be answered for scale-up efforts. | Messages: which framing of the message will yield higher impact on gender attitudes and behaviors of interest among men and women? How are the messages being interpreted by the target audience? 4 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES During the design phase of the intervention, teams | In Lebanon, a 72-second “Main Video” and a could conduct multiple FGDs with the target population 26-second “Men’s Video” were produced. The to assess messages, personas, format, duration, and Main video chronicles a young woman’s — Sarah sequence. Some aspects of design will have to be tested — journey challenging traditional gender roles after the content is produced; for example, dosage and across pivotal life stages, including formative anticipated uptake of the content are better tested years, higher education, entering the workforce, after the content is produced and administered to a marriage, and reintegration into employment. substantial sample for a relatively extended period Sarah exemplifies positive coping strategies (see step 3 on testing). in navigating societal expectations, household duties, job rejections, and inflexible workplace Campaign Design: arrangements. The “Men’s Video” is a condensed | In Jordan, two videos were produced. Video A, version, highlighting supportive roles men could titled “Office Video,” portrays a man sharing play in Sarah’s journey. These men included uplifting experiences during the COVID-19 Sarah’s father, husband, and male employer and lockdown, highlighting how he was able to foster colleagues. a more intimate relationship with his wife and children by supporting with domestic chores. This video also role modelled a man’s active engagement in various parenting activities. Video B, known as the “Barber Video”, conveys similar messages to the office video but incorporates additional discussion about how the barber managed to effectively care for his infant, support his wife and increase involvement in his child’s life. Each of the videos is around 4 minutes long. 5 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES | In Iraq, two videos were produced. One video Step 3: Testing and revising content before roll-out addresses a general Iraqi and Arabic-speaking audience, featuring a 65-second documentary- Testing content before deciding on the final campaign style interview with Um Mohammad, a middle- design and dissemination is critical to ensure that aged Iraqi woman from a rural village. She the campaign has optimal chances of succeeding with recounts the story of how she established her the target audience and to assess the effectiveness own business to employ women in her village. Um of various aspects of the content such as duration, Mohammad discusses how she persuaded her messages, characters, format, and dosage. While the husband to support the idea and subsequently design of the content should be informed by engaging convinced the community as well. The second a subsample of the target audience around issues like video, lasting 116 seconds, presents a fictional messaging, personas, and sequence of content, it is story of a Kurdish woman in KRI detailing the important to assess whether the creative execution of challenges of (and solutions to) rejoining the labor these insights in the final product could change gender force after having children and being inactive for attitudes on a more representative sample of the several years. online population. It is important to understand which aspect of the content needs to be tested so that the evaluation design includes the appropriate number of treatment arms to test. Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) involve an empirical technique to identify whether a certain intervention can yield causal impact on a specific outcome compared to an alternative reality where that intervention is not administered. RCTs are one type of impact evaluations to test effectiveness of programs, services, content, etc. In the context of the MGF campaigns, each of the two videos was tested for their relative impact on gender attitudes to inform decisions about which video to disseminate more intensively and whether certain aspects of the videos needed to be revised. This type of testing is referred to as “A/B testing”, where version A and version B of the campaign videos are assessed in comparison to one another. There are various ways to test content, including qualitative and quantitative methods using digital tools. SBCC content could either be tested experimentally for more robust estimates of impact, or they could be tested qualitatively for rich descriptive insights into the likely reception of different types of content. The former method relies on experimental studies such as Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and are typically conducted online for speed, ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. Alternatively, RCTs could be conducted through face-to-face or phone-based data collection methods. | 6 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES The campaign videos were tested prior to roll out to Step 4: Dissemination and Monitoring assess the effectiveness of the messages (in both Jordan and Lebanon), as well as the duration (in While it is important to design SBCC content based Lebanon). Online data collection tools were used in both on evidence, it is equally vital for dissemination to be countries. In Lebanon, the relative effectiveness of the far, wide, and intensive. Pre-campaign testing is an main video and the men’s video in improving attitudes effective way to assess potential impact if the target towards working mothers and traditional family values audience views the content. However, whether or not was assessed through a one-wave RCT using Facebook the target audience views and pays attention to the ads. While the main video yielded bigger impacts, the content also depends on how effective (and massive) shorter video had higher completion rates. Since both dissemination efforts are. In a media landscape videos positively influenced attitudes among men saturated with entertainment ads competing for and women in the short term, the team decided to attention, reaching wide audiences with social invest in disseminating the video targeting men more messages is no easy feat. Recent social media trends intensively to ensure higher engagement. In Jordan, have illuminated the role and promise of collaborating the team wanted to assess whether the additional with influencers and content creators to push out key messaging on self-efficacy in infant care would yield messages and ads. Leveraging government TV channels a higher impact on men’s self-reported self-efficacy. that have pre-existing following and viewership could The A/B testing was carried out through a two-wave boost both outreach and legitimacy of the campaign. It panel RCT using Facebook messenger. Both videos is also important to invest in actively boosting content impacted attitudes and self-efficacy immediately through paid ads and timing the posts to leverage peak after exposure, and JNCW chose to disseminate both. media utilization times of the day and week. Without such considerations, outreach could lead to very little The purpose behind testing the efficacy of content attitudinal and behavior change—if at all—among the before launching the campaign is to explore needed targeted population. content revisions. As such, it is important to consider: In Lebanon, the videos were disseminated in | Embedding qualitative questions in the testing partnership with NCLW in a nation-wide campaign regarding the relatability of the characters and “Reaching Our Full Potential” rolled out in September messages and the feasibility of solutions (if 2023. The videos were shown across TV programs, relevant) in the video to assess whether revisions radio, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube, and digital to the content or casting are needed. display banners were placed on 11 different websites, including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. | Time and funding for the revision of content if needed. Pre-testing the content in as near final | Influencers’ platforms: 11 influencers, with version as possible is the optimal way to assess a combined total of 12 million followers, were the potential impact that the content could yield selected to collaborate on the dissemination. The in a real-life campaign; however, some degree sharing of the videos on their Instagram stories of revision should be built into the production, resulted in a total of 823k views. based on the results of the testing. Balancing between cost and benefit is important. The more | TV: The campaign was broadcasted on 5 robust the diagnostic used to inform the design local TV stations and included a total of 183 of the content, the fewer revisions the content advertisements. Among these, 86% were aired may need. during peak time programs, and 94% were shown in the first two breaks of the program. Therefore, it is critical to invest well in the diagnostic The campaign reached approximately 82% of its and design stage of the SBCC intervention. intended audience on TV (adults aged 18 to 65). 7 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES | Radio: the videos’ voiceovers were used for radio RECOMMENDATIONS dissemination across 10 stations. Relevant learning for policy makers: | Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: the men’s | Leverage in-house gender experts, media and video received 2,320,050 views and the main communications experts, as well as subject video received 592,769 views. The main video matter experts to ensure effective design and has been shared 819 times across Instagram, implementation of SBCC interventions. YouTube, and Facebook, while the men’s video has been shared 63 times. | Use gender norms campaigns as a tool to encourage the uptake of structural reform or In Jordan, JNCW led the dissemination of the two reinforce the impact of such reform by cultivating campaign videos on social media. The videos were and sustaining an enabling social environment. posted on JNCW’s Facebook page and boosted using Google ads in January and February 2023. The | Plan for a multi-year comprehensive campaign’s total reach was 405k and garnered 1.4m communication strategy that utilizes multiple impressions across eight ad posts promoting the videos channels and partners (e.g. CSOs, NGOs, on Facebook overall. The barber video got 197k views, influencers) and allows for sustained engagement while the office video got 22k views on Facebook. and behavior change. Iraq: In KRI, the K24 TV station plans to broadcast | Be mindful of the target audience and their the video across its programs. The Iraqi government is perceptions of the credibility of the campaign planning on airing the video for a month on the Iraqia brand, channels and messengers used in the TV program to maximize outreach. campaign. | Invest in dissemination efforts and boost content across different social media platforms to ensure high reach and engagement. Key take-aways for practitioners and communications experts: | Identify and work with the right kind of experts with clear definition of roles and responsibilities (terms of reference), including on subject matter, gender, behavioral communications, evaluations, and identify a high-quality production agency with experience in SBCC, social media and PR. | Set realistic goals for the campaign’s impact on attitudes and behaviors given available budget, resources, partnerships and timeline. | Design gender focused SBCC interventions based on a thorough behavioral diagnostic of the target audience and gender norms to address. | Implement effective quality assurance procedures on the overall process to ensure consistency in the vision and desired quality from design to campaign execution. | Ensure continuous monitoring and evaluation of the campaign’s impact and make necessary adjustments based on the findings. 8 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES Annex 1: Summary of design elements and outputs for SBCC campaigns in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq TARGET CREATIVE COUNTRY BEHAVIORAL BARRIERS MESSAGES AUDIENCE OUTPUTS Traditional attitudes about division of roles and Men can cultivate strong responsibilities at home. 87% relationships with their female of men believe a woman’s most relatives and children when important role is to take care of they participate in household Two 4-minute the home & cook for the family. chores and childcare/parenting. Adult men, fictional Jordan 52% of women believe that too including narrative (UN Women 2022). fathers. videos. Men have low self-efficacy when Men can be just as effective at it comes to infant care and infant care and parenting as parenting (FGDs 2021). women. Traditional attitudes about division of roles and Women can succeed in finding responsibilities at home. 54% Two fictional the right job opportunities if of men believe a woman’s most narrative the men in their lives support Adult men important role is to cook for the videos. them. and women, family and take care of home including (Elfeki et al. 2018). those Lebanon who have Men and women need to share children One 72 second household responsibilities to under 18 “main” video. Beliefs that if a woman works, make sure they both thrive in years old. the children will suffer (WVS their careers. 2018). Women should not give up One 26 second after facing various challenges “men’s” video. in finding a job. One 1:05 long Misperception about the social People in Iraq underestimate documentary- acceptability of women’s work the level of support local style video for in Iraq, especially in the private community has for women’s Federal Iraq sector (Sen et al., 2022; Ismail, work. Qarout, & Sen, 2023). Adult men Iraq There are local role models of and women. female entrepreneurs who have convinced the local community One 1:56 Most women report preference and their male relatives that long fictional for starting their own business work for women is important narrative video (Ibid). for both the local economy for KRI and the empowerment of the women themselves. 9 LEVERAGING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) TO TRANSFORM GENDER ATTITUDES AND NORMS IN MASHREQ COUNTRIES REFERENCES Arab Barometer. 2022. Arab Barometer Wave VII. Web. https://www.arabbarometer.org. Banerjee, La Ferrara and Orozco. 2019. “The entertaining way to behavioral change fighting HIV with MTV”. 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American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 4, no. 4 (October 1, 2012): 1–31. Manning, Dalton, Goodnow, Afif, Vakos and Naru. 2020. Behavioral Science Around the World Volume II: Profiles of 17 International Organizations (English). eMBeD report. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group Nasruddin. 2021. Annotated Bibliography: Broadcast Media and Gender Norms. ALIGN. Web. https://www.alignplatform.org/resources/ broadcast-media-and-gender-norms. Iman, Afif, Gauri and Mohamed. 2022. Women’s Labor Force Participation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A Study of Social and Psychological Barriers. Policy Research working paper; no. WPS 10028. Washington, D.C: World Bank Group.  Redaelli, Lnu, Buitrago Hernandez and Ismail. 2023. State of the Mashreq Women: Who Cares? - Care Work and Women’s Labor Market Outcomes in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. Washington DC: The World Bank. UN Women. 2022. Understanding Masculinities: International Men and Gender Equality Survey Jordan. World Values Survey (WVS). 2018. Wave 7: 2017-2022. Web: https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp World Bank, World Development Indicators DataBank. Retrieved in January 2024. This Knowledge Brief was prepared by Dana Qarout, Jonna Lundvall, Nour Nasr, and Mohamad Chatila with additional contributions made by Zeina Afif, Angela Elzir Assy and Nour Moghrabi. It presents the experience of the Mashreq Gender Facility (MGF) related to designing and testing Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) interventions to address gender norms in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, work led by the Mind, Behavior and Development (eMBeD) Unit at the World Bank. The MGF is a World Bank - IFC initiative in collaboration with the governments of Canada and Norway. It is mainly supported by the Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality that counts on generous contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.  For further information, please visit: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/mashreq-gender-facility or contact the MGF Secretariat: Jonna Lundwall, jlundwall@worldbank.org | mgf@worldbankgroup.org 10