Institute for War and Peace Reporting

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (or IWPR for short) is an independent not-for profit organisation that works with media and civil society to promote positive change in conflict zones, closed societies and countries in transition around the world. IWPR does this by supporting local reporters, citizen journalists and civil society activists in volatile countries. It has coordinating offices in the United States and the Netherlands, and a global headquarters in London.

IWPR logo

IWPR trains, mentors and provides platforms for professional and citizen reporters; builds up the institutional capacity of media and civic groups; and works with partners to remove barriers to free expression, robust public debate and citizen engagement. It supports peace-building, development and the rule of law.[1] IWPR works on the ground in more than 30 countries and runs programmes in, among other places, Afghanistan,[2] the Caucasus,[3] Central Asia,[4] Iraq,[5] the Balkans,[6] Sudan,[7] and Uganda.[8]

History

IWPR was founded in 1991 under the name Yugofax,[9] initially a newsletter that reported on the troubling developments throughout the Balkans from a balanced perspective. As the conflict developed into an all out war, Yugofax newsletter changed its name to Balkan War Report.

Eventually, in late 1995, after the Dayton Peace Accord was signed ending the war in Bosnia, the newsletter expanded its area of focus to other global trouble spots (initially mainly focusing on ex-Soviet republics) and adjusted its name to simply War Report.

In 1998, the newsletter changed its name again, this time to the Institute for War & Peace Reporting and registered as a non-governmental organization.

IWPR is registered with charitable status in the United Kingdom (charity reg. no: 1027201, company reg. no: 2744185), in the United States under IRS Section 501(c)(3); and The Netherlands as a charitable foundation.

Leadership

IWPR is an international network of three partner not-for-profit organisations governed by a board of trustees composed of senior journalists, peace-building and human rights experts, regional specialists, and business and NGO professionals. The Chairman of the International Board of Directors is Sir David Bell, ex-chairman of the Financial Times. Other members include Anne Applebaum, George Packer, and Christina Lamb, among others.[10]

Notable participants
  • Zaina Erhaim – Syria project coordinator[11] in Turkey.[12]
  • Malala Yousafzai participated in the "Open Minds" project, which brought journalism training and discussions of current affairs to 42 schools in Pakistan. The program also edited their work and put them in touch with local newspapers. Yousafzai's own success had inspired other young people, and many of those approaching the program were girls.[13]

Untimely deaths of members

On June 7, 2007, IWPR journalist Sahar Hussein al-Haideri, age 44, was murdered by gunmen as she left her home in Mosul.[14] IWPR is establishing a journalists' assistance fund in her name.[14]

On May 2, 2015, the previous IWPR Iraq director, Ammar Al Shahbander, was killed in a car bomb attack, along with up to 17 other people.[15][16]

On October 18, 2015, the IWPR acting Iraq director, Jacqueline Anne Sutton (a.k.a. Jacky Sutton), age 50, was found hanged in a bathroom stall of Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport. She had been on her way to Irbil.[15][17]

On 6 July 2020, Hisham al-Hashimi was seriously wounded outside his home in Zayouna, Baghdad from an attack by gunmen on 3 motorbikes. He died in Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital shortly after arrival.[18][19]

References
  1. "Institute for War and Peace Reporting". refworld.org.
  2. "Afghanistan". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. "Caucasus". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  4. "Central Asia". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  5. "Iraq". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  6. "Balkans: Regional Reporting & Sustainable Training". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. "Sudan". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  8. "Uganda". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  9. "Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)". ecoi.net. European Country of Origin Information Network.
  10. "About IWPR". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  11. "IWPR's Syria Coordinator Wins Landmark Freedom of Speech Prize". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  12. Erhaim, Zaina (16 December 2015). "War-Torn Syria: Should I Stay or Should I Go?". Newsweek. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  13. "Young Pakistani Journalist Inspires Fellow Students". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  14. Borden, Anthony (June 29, 2007). "Sahar Hussein al-Haideri". The Guardian. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  15. Barrett, David; Finnigan, Lexi (October 19, 2015). "Friends of Jacky Sutton, former BBC journalist found dead in Istanbul airport, voice fears over 'cover up'". Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  16. Gienger, Viola (May 6, 2015). "Tribute to Iraqi Peacebuilder Ammar Al-Shahbander". usip.org. United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  17. Hartley-Parkinson, Richard (October 19, 2015). "British journalist found hanged in airport toilet 'after missing flight to Iraq'". Metro. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  18. "Leading Iraqi security expert shot dead in Baghdad". BBC News. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  19. Najim, Jomana Karadsheh, Arwa Damon, Hamdi Alkhshali and Aqeel. "Prominent researcher of jihadi groups shot dead in Baghdad". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.