Focus

Amplify, Verify, Engage

The Amplify, Verify, Engage project promotes democratic growth, participatory governance, and cross-border cooperation, by strengthening civil society and independent media across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.

Years active: 2021-2023

The Amplify, Verify, Engage: Information for Democratisation and Good Governance in Eurasia project builds on IWPR's previous Norwegian-supported initiatives, including the Giving Voice, Driving Change project. AVE will continue to promote democratic growth, participatory governance, and cross-border cooperation, by strengthening civil society and independent media across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.

Amplify, Verify, Engage (AVE) has three key objectives, through which IWPR will:

Amplify journalists and independent media voices producing verified, evidence-based reporting;
Verify reliable information by strengthening the capacity of civil society and independent media to counter misinformation and disinformation;
Engage civil society, independent media, public officials and the general public to foster increased dialogue and cooperation.

Established in collaboration with and funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the project directly supports Norwegian priorities and values, builds on long-standing Norwegian supported programming in the region, and expands on IWPR’s extensive local and regional networks of independent media and civic groups.

Latest from the project

A journalist holds a sign labelling a draft law currently under discussion in Georgia as "a Russian law" during a protest staged in front of the Parliament on 2 March, 2023. The government is facing domestic and international calls to backtrack on plans to adopt a "foreign influence agents" bill as critics say it mimics a similar law in Russia. © Gvantsa Seturidze/IWPR

Draft Law on Foreign Agents Sparks Outcry in Georgia and Abroad

Ruling party says that bill ensures transparency; critics argue it mimics Russian laws and will crush EU integration.

On 21 February 21, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (right) met Stefano Tomat (centre), chief of civilian operations of the European External Action Service, and Markus Ritter (left), head of the new EU monitoring mission in Armenia. Deployed on 20 February, the two-year mission foresees up to 100 personnel, of which 50 unarmed civilian monitors, and will monitor the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. © Press office of Armenia's Prime Minister's office

EU Deploys Two-Year Monitoring Mission in Armenia

Brussels commits to reducing border tensions with a longer-term and more robust deployment.

A photo collage with 12 of the 24 Kyrgyz activists detained for protesting against the agreement Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed to finalise the border demarcation. The deal includes a land swap that assigns to Uzbekistan the Kampir-Abad water reservoir. © Kloop.kg

Kyrgyzstan Seals Border Deal, Dissenters Remain in Jail

Protests against the land swaps the agreement entails have led to a heavy-handed response.

A screenshot of the trial against Bolot Temirov, Kyrgyzstan's most prominent investigative journalist, who was deported from Bishkek to Moscow in November 2022. on charges of illegal documents. Temirov, founder of investigative YouTube channel “Temirov Live”, holds both Kyrgyz and Russian citizenship. He was arrested in February 2022 for illegal use and detention of drugs, charges he said were bogus. © Temirov Live

Kyrgyzstan’s Shrinking Space for Independent Journalism

A draconian draft media law and rising numbers of criminal investigations against journalists signal an authoritarian turn.

A mother holds the children she gave birth to as a result of in-vitro fertilisation. In January, the Armenian government announced a large-scale free programme to address the country's low infertility rate. © Fertility Center of Armenia

Armenia Offers Free IVF to Tackle Population Decline

Authorities are taking measures to address high infertility rate and address demographic challenges.

Concerns are growing over the health of prominent Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, imprisoned on charges his defence team and rights groups state are politically motivated. © BBC News Azərbaycanca

Azerbaijani Hunger Striker Denied Bail

The 40-year-old faces up to five years in prison following an arrest many see as directly related to his criticism of the interior ministry.

Nasha Niva, Belarus' oldest newspaper, was banned in November 2021 and declared an extremist formation in January 2022 as part of a continuous crackdown on journalists and government's critics. © Monica Ellena/IWPR

Belarus’ Oldest Outlet Epitomises Struggle for Press Freedom

In one of the world’s most dangerous countries for reporters, mere dissent can lead to years in jail.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev (right) with Vasif Talibov (left), now former governor of Nakhchivan in an official meeting in 2017. On December 21, 2022 Talibov resigned from his ruling position in the country’s remote enclave after 27 years. The 62-year-old cited health concerns, but rumours had been circulating that the central government in Baku sought greater control on the region. © Azerbaijan’s Presidential Press and Information Office

Azerbaijan: “The Sultan” Steps Down

Longtime ruler of autonomous enclave resigns on health concerns, but observers maintain his exit was on Baku’s orders.

Uzbekistan’s state prosecutor requested long jail terms for 22 activists and journalists accused of fomenting the July unrest that shook Nukus, the administrative centre of Uzbekistan's north-western region of Karakalpakstan in July 2022. © Uzbekistan's Supreme Court

Prosecutor Demands Long Sentences for Karakalpakstan Protesters

Trial of 22 defendants enters final stages amid concerns of bias and lack of transparency.

IWPR ACADEMY

Newsrooms Countering Disinformation

IWPR film and online course available in seven languages is supporting young journalists across the Eastern Partnership region and Central Asia to detect and combat disinformation in their daily work.

Related Social Media pages

The Amplify, Verify, Engage (AVE) project builds on IWPR's previous Norwegian-supported initiatives, including the Giving Voice, Driving Change - from the Borderland to the Steppes project. AVE will continue to promote democratic growth, participatory governance, and cross-border cooperation, by strengthening civil society and independent media across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.