Europe/Eurasia

IWPR works across the Western Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia to strengthen local voices of reporters, civil society activists and expert analysts and policy makers. Our focus is on strengthening the nexus among media, civil society and, where possible, officials, to help drive informed change.

Efforts focus on human rights reporting, peace building and reconciliation, anti-corruption and transparency, and expert policy research and analysis. IWPR’s enjoys deep networks in these regions, where we have worked since our founding and earliest years.

IWPR discussion on Karabakh, 29 March 2017. © IWPR

Armenia

IWPR currently works on the Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) project in Armenia, supporting a range of actors to deliver important work on women's issues.

IWPR previously worked on a range of projects in Armenia, including support for journalists via training and mentoring, and providing platforms for reporting.

Years active: 1999-present

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Reporter Eana Korbezashvili on an assignment in May 2015. © IWPR

Azerbaijan

IWPR currently works on the Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) project in Azerbaijan, supporting a range of actors to deliver important work on women's issues.

IWPR previously worked on a range of projects in Azerbaijan, including support for journalists via training and mentoring, and providing platforms for reporting.

Years active: 1999-present

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IWPR reporter interviewing a resident of Ledici, a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina. © Sanja Vrzic

Bosnia & Herzegovina

IWPR’s longest continuing area of work is about creating a broader understanding of war crime trials taking place at the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and transitional justice in general.

For over twenty years (1996-2017), we reported from the trials in The Hague and worked in the Balkans, where we have trained hundreds of journalists, editors, broadcasters and producers in objective reporting on human rights, rule of law and transitional justice.

Radio and TV documentaries on issues such as reconciliation and justice reached millions of people in the region. A series of films about individual Bosnians who were able to come to terms with the past were broadcast on state TV and Al Jazeera and sparked an intense debate among audiences, particularly young people.

In 2018, IWPR and its local partners in Bosnia launched a campaign aimed at reducing online hate speech and educating communities on the dangers of such divisive content in public discourse in this deeply divided post-conflict country. The campaign was completed in January 2020.

In recent years, Bosnian capital Sarajevo has served as a training hub for journalists from the countries where freedom of speech is limited. 

Years active: 1996-present

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Croatia

IWPR’s longest continuing area of work is about creating a broader understanding of war crime trials taking place at the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and transitional justice in general.

For over twenty years (1996-2017), we reported from the trials in The Hague and worked in the Balkans, where we have trained hundreds of journalists, editors, broadcasters and producers in objective reporting on human rights, rule of law and transitional justice.

Radio and TV documentaries on issues such as reconciliation and justice reached millions of people in the region. A series of films about individual Bosnians who were able to come to terms with the past were broadcast on state TV and Al Jazeera and sparked an intense debate among audiences in the whole region, particularly young people.

Years active: 1996-2017

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A three day hackathon organised by IWPR and the Tbilisi Startup Bureau, October 2018. © IWPR

Georgia

With a presence in the country since 1999, IWPR currently works on the Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) project in Georgia, supporting a range of actors to deliver important work on women's issues.

IWPR previously worked on a range of projects in Georgia, including support for journalists via training and mentoring, and providing platforms for reporting. We support engagement of women in peacebuilding processes through Women Connecting for Peace platform.

Years active: 1999-present

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School of Analytics session, 2019, Kazakhstan. © IWPR/CABAR

Kazakhstan

IWPR brings the international expertise and its own experience to provide a timely assessment of the political, social and economic developments in the country.

IWPR organises expert discussions, brings together the policy-makers and analysts for joint search for evidence-based solutions, trains a new generation of experts and influencers, provides timely coverage of the key trends in the biggest country in Central Asia.

Years active: 1999-present

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© IWPR/CABAR

Kyrgyzstan

Programming ensures coverage of the key political trends, economic challenges and social problems, and invites activists, journalists, human rights defenders, analysts, and experts to seek solutions and offer recommendations.

With timely coverage and advocacy, IWPR aims to secure achieved progress, speed up democratisation and prevent backsliding in human rights protection. With its investigations, IWPR contributes to upholding accountability. IWPR supports new media content production in Kyrgyz language.

Years active: 1999-present

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IWPR organised roundtable discussion on hybrid threats in Moldova and Ukraine held in Chisinau, May 2019. © IWPR

Moldova

IWPR has been active in Moldova since 2018, currently working on the Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) project, supporting a range of actors to deliver important work on women's issues.

IWPR previously worked on a range of projects in Moldova, including support for journalists via training and mentoring, and providing platforms for reporting.

Years active: 2018-present

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IWPR roundtable in Skopje, December 2003. © IWPR

North Macedonia

IWPR’s longest continuing area of work is about creating a broader understanding of war crime trials taking place at the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and transitional justice in general.

For over twenty years (1996-2017), we reported from the trials in The Hague and worked in the Balkans, where we have trained hundreds of journalists, editors, broadcasters and producers in objective reporting on human rights, rule of law and transitional justice.

Radio and TV documentaries on issues such as reconciliation and justice reached millions of people in the region. A series of films about individual Bosnians who were able to come to terms with the past were broadcast on state TV and Al Jazeera and sparked an intense debate among audiences in the whole region, particularly young people.

Years active: 1996-2017

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Former president of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic appears at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, August 30, 2001 in The Hague, the Netherlands. © Michel Porro/Getty Images

Serbia

IWPR’s longest continuing area of work is about creating a broader understanding of war crime trials taking place at the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and transitional justice in general.

For over twenty years (1996-2017), we reported from the trials in The Hague and worked in the Balkans, where we have trained hundreds of journalists, editors, broadcasters and producers in objective reporting on human rights, rule of law and transitional justice.

Radio and TV documentaries on issues such as reconciliation and justice reached millions of people in the region. A series of films about individual Bosnians who were able to come to terms with the past were broadcast on state TV and Al Jazeera and sparked an intense debate among audiences in the whole region, particularly young people, including those in Serbia.

Years active: 1996-2017

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TV interview with Tajik ambassador Hadyatullo Azimzoda (L) and a CABAR's Mediaschool trainer, September 2020. © CABAR/IWPR

Tajikistan

IWPR supports free-thinking in the country by allowing the alternative voices to be heard. The program engages decision-makers in an open discussion of the troubling issues and ensures the recommendations are taken into account. IWPR raises the capacity of the analysts and experts to ensure the pluralism of viewpoints. Working with the content creators from the remote areas, IWPR sheds light on the underreported issues.

Years active: 1999-present

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Turkmenistan

IWPR ensures that the exclusive content about life in one of the most closed-off nations is regularly published. IWPR contributors share unique viewpoints from inside the country on a variety of issues, and the content is published both on IWPR and CABAR websites. Programming seeks to train the local media in new media content production.

Years active: 1999-present

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IWPR distributed protective equipment to journalists in Kyiv bound for assignments in eastern Ukraine. This was a collaborative effort with the Institute of Mass Information, the Lviv Media Forum and the Open Dialogue Foundation, with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. © IWPR
IWPR Ukraine conference held in Kyiv, October 6-7, 2017. © IWPR

Ukraine

IWPR and its local partners have been working in Ukraine since 2014, with programming designed to support and develop a strong cadre of independent media voices and to build local civil society capacity to address systemic corruption.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, IWPR has increased its commitment to support local voices and assist national outlets. The information space has become a vital front against Russia’s attacks: the media’s role in reporting the war, exposing human rights violations and countering disinformation has been critical in advancing calls for perpetrators to be brought to justice, contributing towards reduced impunity for crimes and exposing cases of corruption. 

Ukraine Voices has provided multi-layered support to journalists and independent media. Funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), the project provides local reporters with a combination of training, mentoring and support to enhance their professional skills and provide them with on-the-job learning opportunities. Safety and security training, including in the digital sphere, aims to increase journalists’ awareness of risks and how these relate to their rights under international law. Mentorship from expert editors in ethics, conflict and gender sensitivity and international journalism standards, improves their ability to produce professional, reliable and engaging content. 

As part of this, the weekly Ukraine Justice Report provides in-depth coverage of judicial processes taking place across the country. Dedicated analysis, reporting and interviews on key issues aim to increase national and international audiences’ access to fair, accurate and reliable information about justice processes connected to the invasion.

The Ukraine Regional Media Emergency Support (URMES), with funding from the EU and Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has provided grants to 12 national and regional investigative journalism organisations and coordinated initiatives to maintain vital media coverage during the ongoing war. It has also provided support in debunking disinformation, documenting war crimes and supporting relocating stay within the profession.

Risks for media professionals in Ukraine have substantially increased, with relentless targeting of independent voices since the onset of the invasion, including kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, torture and in some cases killings.  In this context, since November 2022 IWPR has implemented Protecting the Frontline (PF), a project providing training and support for journalists to conduct investigative reports documenting violations and crimes against media workers. Through targeted capacity building in security and legal protections and reporting, the project provides financial support and expert mentorship to build the resilience of local reporters, equipping them with the tools to effectively and safely cover such crimes. 

To address the intensified disinformation around the war IWPR is also implementing Ukraine Forward, which promotes Ukrainian voices and expertise internationally, enabling the country’s continued visibility on the international agenda. The project, funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, facilitates connections between local and international expert communities with local in-depth analysis and verified information with international reach.

Years active: 2014-present

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Uzbekistan

IWPR program involves work with analytical, journalistic, and new media contributors in Uzbekistan, as well as their capacity building. Conducting research into the developments in the country, IWPR is able to tailor its country approach. IWPR established relations with the university tutors in Uzbekistan, reinforcing the sustainability of the capacity building.

Years active: 1999-present

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