User:SerAntoniDeMiloni/sandbox1
| Established | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Mark Freeman |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Legal status | Charity |
| Purpose | Aid transitions to democracy |
| Headquarters | Barcelona, Spain |
| Website | www |
The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) is a non-governmental organisation based in Barcelona. It focuses on helping states transition out of cycles of war, crisis and authoritarianism. The organisation played a key role in the Colombia-FARC accords in 2015, and is active in Afghanistan, Libya, Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
Established by Mark Freeman in 2012 following the onset of the Arab Spring, IFIT serves as a resource for local parties negotiating with adversaries, establishing short-term priorities and setting long-term goals. It hosts several initiatives and practice groups, notably their Law and Peace Practice Group, Inclusive Narrative Practice Group, and Transition Assistance Practice Group.
Objectives
The institute aims to help fragile and conflict-affected states transition sustainably out of war, crisis or authoritarianism. It hosts policy and consensus-building lessons to support locally-led efforts at reducing polarisation and breaking cycles of conflict or repression.
Donors include the governments of Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission. Private donors include the Ford Foundation, Sida, Robert Bosch Stiftung, the European Endowment for Democracy, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Organisation Structure
IFIT operates globally through a decentralised group of 300 experts working as members of staff or within governance bodies, thematic practice groups, country brain trusts, regional programmes or global initiatives. It's a part of the UN's Mediation Support Network, alongside the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office. Their international council includes John Carlin, Nasser Saidi and Shaharzad Akbar.
Initiatives
Brain Trusts and Colombia peace process
The institute introduced brain trusts in 2016, which use 15-18 diverse leaders chosen for their expertise and influence. It was also heavily involved in the Colombia peace process after 2012, serving as the international counsel to the Colombian delegation during negotiations with the FARC rebel group in Havana, leading to accords in December 2015. The first brain trust was set up in the aftermath, and is used to facilitate policy discussions. Each receives policy support from IFIT to help achieve strategic goals, such as shaping policies and fostering alliances. IFIT also runs the Middle Belt Brain Trust in Nigeria and a brain trust in Venezuela.
Initiatives
IFIT has several initiatives, global and regional. Globally, the Peace Treaty Initiative seeks to develop an international law on peace negotiation, the Global Initiative on Polarization seeks to propose a definition of what polarisation is and how to tackle its negative effects, in collaboration with Ford Foundation, and the Initiative on Apex Court Appointments seeks to create a global protocol for the election of supreme court judges.
Regional initiatives
IFIT initiatives modeled after national brain trusts but with a regional focus. Launched in 2022, the first regional initiative is The Regional Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, with council members including Mariana Aylwin, María Ángela Holguín, Óscar Naranjo, Leonardo Padura, and Tania Pariona Tarqui.