Strengthening Accountability

Strengthening Accountability | Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Working with international and local partners, IWPR supports the capacity of civil society and human rights groups to advocate for government and institutional accountability and transparency, with programming designed to reduce corruption, strengthen rule of law, and promote basic rights.

It promotes and publicises the work of international courts and tribunals that support justice and hold individuals and groups responsible for crimes against humanity.

IWPR assists countries and regions in their recovery from conflict and war through support for transitional justice, and helps communities tackle threats by building knowledge, empowering them and supporting citizen activism.

Activities

The following is a selection of our programme work on strengthening accountability, broken down by theme:

Civic Advocacy & Participation

Encouraging changes in government policy on education and refugees in Iraq.
Engaging citizens and government on key issues in Central Asia via debates, conference and public presentations.
Raising public awareness about disability as Armenia’s parliament reviews legislation.

Human Rights

Human rights investigations in the Philippines deemed outstanding by the UN rapporteur on extra-judicial killings.
Helping human rights defenders in five Central Asian states to develop media and public outreach strategies.
Practical guides for human rights defenders in Central Asia and the Philippines.

Government Transparency

Promoting transparency and combating corruption in the Philippines through education, reporting, training and advocacy.

Anti-Corruption

It's Our Money! – a guide for civic groups and journalists in the Philippines trying to reduce corruption and increase government accountability.

International Justice & Criminal Courts

Unique reporting and analysis of the Yugoslav tribunal in the Hague since 1996.
IWPR guide to covering war crimes proceedings – Reporting Justice.
Accountability for past war crimes in Afghan documentary Forgotten Victims.

Conflict Alert Systems

Improving public understanding of conflict resolution in the Caucasus region.
Looking at the causes and effects of conflict in Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Transitional Justice

Transitional justice reporting – training for journalists, bloggers, and activists in Tunisia.

Goals

Overall, our programme activities pursue the following goals:

Short-term:

Government works with citizen groups and civil society to communicate more freely and report on financial and legal matters in a more open manner.

Medium-term:

Government actions are transparent;
Communication between officials and citizens is open and respectful;
Courts operate fairly and independently.