IWPR builds democracy at the frontlines of conflict and change through the power of professional journalism. IWPR programs provide intensive hands-on training, extensive reporting and publishing, and ambitious initiatives to build the capacity of local media. Supporting peace-building, development and the rule of law, IWPR gives responsible local media a voice.We have grown substantially from its origins disseminating frontline reporting by Balkan journalists to counter nationalist hate speech and international misunderstanding throughout the conflicts of the 1990s.
Under dictatorships such as Zimbabwe and Uzbekistan, and on-going conflict areas such as Chechnya, IWPR serves a critical role as "electronic samizdat," supporting local reporters under siege and utilizing new technologies to disseminate their reporting in country, regionally and internationally. This includes extensive syndication in newspapers throughout the United States and regular appearances on NPR, CNN and BBC. In transitional regions, as the Balkans, IWPR has established a network of independent local media organizations to provide journalist training and investigative reporting for the long term. This includes a focus on reporting on war crimes and war crimes tribunals, in The Hague and in the regions.
In conflict and post-conflict areas such as Iraq, IWPR operates at the frontline of struggle to professionalize media and civil society, empowering responsible local voices, supporting human rights and development reporting, and contributing to cross-community understanding. In Afghanistan, IWPR has established the country's first-ever independent news agency to provide balanced indigenous reporting on development, electoral and social issues. In both areas, IWPR provides special focus on empowering women journalists. In Uganda, IWPR is launching an independent radio news agency in advance of critical elections.
IWPR works in Afghanistan, Caucasus, Central Asia, The Netherlands, Iran, Iraq, The Philippines, Southeastern Europe, Syria, Uganda, Southern Africa and Zimbabwe