Institute for War and Peace Reporting

IWPR logo

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. It has coordinating offices in the United States and the Netherlands, and a global headquarters in London. IWPR supports local reporters, citizen journalists and civil society activists in countries in conflict, crisis and transition around the world. It 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. IWPR works on the ground in more than 30 countries and runs programmes in, among other places, Afghanistan,^[1] the Caucasus,^[2] Central Asia,^[3] Iraq,^[4] the Balkans,^[5] Sudan,^[6] and Uganda.^[7]

History

IWPR was founded in 1991 under the name Yugofax by American Anthony Borden, the United Kingdom's Ben Cohen and Vanessa Quick, and Serbian journalist Miloš Vasić. Yugofax was 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 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 Boards 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 Christiane Amanpour, Anne Applebaum, George Packer, and Christina Lamb, among others.^[8]

Notable participants

• 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.^[9]

Untimely deaths of members

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.^{[10] [11]}

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.^[10][12]

On June 7, 2007, IWPR journalist Sahar Hussein al-Haideri, age 44, was murdered by gunmen as she left her home in Mosul.^[13] IWPR is establishing a journalists' assistance fund in her name.^[13]

References

External links

• Official website