The Institute for War & Peace Reporting 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. IWPR does this by supporting local reporters, citizen journalists and civil society activists in volatile countries. It has coordinating offices in the United States and the Netherlands, and a global headquarters in London. IWPR 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. It supports peace-building, development and the rule of law. IWPR works on the ground in more than 30 countries and runs programmes in, among other places, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Iraq, the Balkans, Sudan, and Uganda.
History
IWPR was founded in 1991 under the name Yugofax, 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 and adjusted its name to simply War Report. In 1998, the newsletter changed its name again, this time to the Institute for War & Peace Reporting and registered as a non-governmental organization. IWPR is registered with charitable status in the United Kingdom, in the United States under IRS Section 501; and The Netherlands as a charitable foundation.
Leadership
IWPR is an international network of three partner not-for-profit organisations governed by a board of trustees composed of senior journalists, peace-building and human rights experts, regional specialists, and business and NGO professionals. The Chairman of the InternationalBoard of Directors is Sir David Bell, ex-chairman of the Financial Times. Other members include Anne Applebaum, George Packer, and Christina Lamb, among others.
Notable participants
Zaina Erhaim – Syria project coordinator in Turkey.
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.
Untimely deaths of members
On June 7, 2007, IWPR journalist Sahar Hussein al-Haideri, age 44, was murdered by gunmen as she left her home in Mosul. IWPR is establishing a journalists' assistance fund in her name. 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. On October 18, 2015, the IWPR acting Iraq director, Jacqueline Anne Sutton, age 50, was found hanged in a bathroom stall of Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport. She had been on her way to Irbil. On 6 July 2020, Hisham al-Hashimi was seriously wounded outside his home in Zayouna, Baghdad from an attack by gunmen on 3 motorbikes. He died in Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital shortly after arrival.
