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History

Founded in September 1995 by a group of media experts that included Patrice Barrat, Kim Spencer and Jean-Pierre Mabille Internews Europe moved beyond its initial focus on media production for conflict resolution to establish wide-ranging programmes in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Russia, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. These programmes now address key global issues such as governance & transparency, human rights, humanitarian & emergency response, post-crisis stabilisation, economic development, health and environment.

A vision of media for peace and against injustice

Internews Europe was created in 1995 at a time of major change and challenge for Europe. Between 1989 and 1991, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union collapsed, leading to upheaval across Eurasia. Countries from East Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia suddenly became new Republics. Separatism arose and conflicts for independence erupted in the Balkan region to degenerate into war. At the same time, in Algeria, the undeclared civil war between Muslim fundamentalists and the military regime racked the country in the 1990s, and international and local media got caught up in the conflict.

Under these circumstances, the founders of Internews Europe shared the vision that media was not only about reporting events, but had a positive role to play in peace-building and reconciliation, and was a precious tool to empower civil societies, support governance, democratic development and human rights.

In the footsteps of media (r)evolutions

The first 5 years of Internews Europe activities (1995-2000) were marked by the conflicts in the Balkan, in Algeria and by the collapse of the Soviet Union. With a strong focus on audio-visual production activities, Internews Europe worked in these countries to enhance tolerance and reconciliation and to build bridges between people through international co-productions and broadcast link-ups, journalism training and documentary productions. It worked in providing a roadmap for the newly independent media in countries in democratic transition.

From 2000 onwards Internews Europe expanded the scope of its activities and programmes in new countries and continents working in Asia, South and South-East Asia, Central America, Eastern Africa and the Middle-East. It sought to address new issues including those at the heart of the Millennium Development Goals, developing programmes in humanitarian emergency response, health, governance and transparency, internet law and regulation, environment and climate change.

At the cutting edge of the constant technological evolution of the internet, mobile telephony, web 2.0, citizen journalism and participatory media, Internews Europe helps media seize the opportunities of the information revolution and communities harness these new tools of empowerment.

Internews Europe remains at the forefront of media development, having helped establish the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), an alliance of 500 media and media development organizations that work together in order to ensure that the media development sector is accorded the same policy status in international development as other key sectors such as health and education.