Objective

Countdown for Change is an immersive multimedia installation that capitalizes on the viewers' sensory, emotional, and psychological engagement, leaving them awestruck by the historical success of vaccines—which have saved more lives than any other medical intervention. Its primary goal is to inspire and motivate decision-makers and global health leaders at global events to make commitments and take decisive actions in support of childhood immunization. 

The installation is structured as a clock with 12 screens, each representing an hour, symbolizing the global immunization journey over the past half-century. Visitors are guided through time showcasing humanity's triumph over diseases thanks to vaccines, the challenges encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the crucial role everyone plays in sustaining immunization efforts for the benefit of all children and the future of humanity. 

"Countdown for Change" premiered at the World Health Assembly in May 2024, traveled to Nigeria for the #NoMoreZeroDose event on World Polio Day, and will continue its world tour at key events through 2025.

Strategy

UNICEF strategically chose political events where high-level officials and decision-makers could access this immersive multimedia installation. The project premiered during a week of formal proceedings and bilateral discussions at the World Health Assembly 2024, providing a unique way for visitors to recognize the impact of policy decisions on people’s health. It offered health ministers, government officials, private sector members, and others an emotional journey, fostering a connection to a larger purpose, ownership of the present, and accountability for the future of millions of children. 

Below is a step-by-step plan created to provide users with an engaging and memorable experience that motivates action: 

• Step 1: When visitors arrive at the installation, the first thing they see is an information panel that highlights live data showing the number of children born on that day who will never receive lifesaving vaccines. The number steadily grows throughout the day, reaching over 86,000 children.  
• Step 2: UNICEF team provides headphones for visitors to experience the installation in their preferred language (5 language options are available) and collect top-level information from each user. Such information is later linked to commitments they make during the experience. User groups include country of origin and professional profile (Government, NGO/Civil Society, Private Sector, Academia and Others).
• Step 3: Users are immersed in a sensory experience where they are surrounded by 12 vertical screens through which the narrative is presented. The experience is split into three phases: 
  • Phase I: Through creative multi-screen synchronized editing and immersive sound design, visitors are fully immersed into the impact of vaccines as one of humanity’s greatest achievements and introduced to a global plan in which countries collaboratively saved over 150 million lives in the past 50 years through essential vaccines.
  • Phase II: Visitors gain a sense of agency -- towards the end of the immersive experience, an interactive pole in the center of the installation lights up, and users – one by one – are asked to choose a pledge they can personally commit to help reach immunization targets in their countries and potentially save millions of lives by 2030. They turn the clock hand toward their preferred option and click the button to submit their vote.
  • Phase III: Once the experience is over and visitors are on their way out of the immersive space, a commitment counter tracking the commitments shuffles to account for the votes submitted in that session. 
• Step 4: As government officials and other visitors leave the experience, a UNICEF youth advocate is right outside ready to ask questions about their experience and the commitment they made inside. That is an important way to capture immediate user feedback and document the interest of high-level officials with decision-making power to create impact in their own country.  

It was a must for us to ensure this installation is accessible to all visitors. The space is designed to be easily accessible for people with physical disabilities and it has features to ensure that anyone with hearing or sight impairments can enjoy a fully immersive experience. 

Results

Countdown for Change’s results have surpassed our expectations with both its qualitative and quantitated outcomes. Between its first two showcases, it garnered commitments related to childhood immunization from about 740 visitors representing 79 nationalities, including over 80 Ministers and government representatives from 35 countries.   

The premiere at the World Health Assembly alone had over 330 visitors making pledges. We were able to secure ministers and/or government representatives from almost all our advocacy target countries: Nigeria, Niger, Philippines, Bangladesh, Angola, Brazil, Chad, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Zambia, Yemen. Commitments include making vaccines a priority nationally, allocating funds to vaccines, investing in innovative tools or speaking out on the importance of vaccines. 

Many decision-makers, members of the UN, partners, NGOs, and civil society who experienced Countdown for Change came out of the installation space visibly emotionally affected by the content. Many of them brought colleagues and fellow decision-makers to experience the installation and make a pledge.

Countdown for Change goes beyond being a memorable experience. It is a conversation-starter, one that motivates action in the real world. Furthermore, UNICEF offices from global priority countries will use the installation to continue engaging with decision-makers and governments that made informal pledges to move the commitment conversation forward and plan the next steps to enhance access and funding for childhood immunization at a regional/local level. 

Media