3. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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In every conflict there are different
perspectives. Talking to people on the other
side and seeing things from their point of view
is often the first step toward building a more
hopeful and peaceful future.
Whether it’s cross-border traders in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), members
of the Sri Lankan diaspora in the UK, young
politicians in Lebanon, genocide survivors
and perpetrators in Rwanda, or journalists
across the South Caucasus, International Alert
provides people with the opportunity to discuss
and explore ways to move past the issues that
divide them.
In this annual report, we’ll show you just some
of the many ways we brought people together to
‘look at the world in a different way’ in 2013. To
find out more about our work, please visit
www.international-alert.org
Thank you to all those who make this important
work possible, including our generous donors
and dedicated partners.
DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES,
SHARED HOPES
Trading for
peace in DRC 4
Engaging the
diaspora in
reconciliation
in Sri Lanka 6
Doing politics
differently in
Lebanon 8
Healing
fractured lives
in Rwanda 10
Finding common
ground in the
Caucasus 12
T H E C O N F L I C T HThe conflict
horizon 14
2013
highlights 16
Financial
results 19 Thank you! 24
4. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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Border relations
We help traders to become more
confident in demanding that their
rights be respected. Today, there is
an improved climate of trust at the
border. Traders at the four borders
where we work have reported a
reduction of up to 60% in the number
of harassment cases.
Rights and
responsibilities
Female traders are often the
victims of systematic abuse and
harassment at the border, including
being forced to pay illegal taxes. We
train border officials on how to treat
cross-border traders better and
facilitate dialogue between traders,
border officials and authorities.
Business skills
and knowledge
We also help traders to improve
their business skills and
knowledge, such as when to save,
buy or sell stock, thus increasing
their ability to switch to goods
with higher profit margins.
Crossing borders
Poor governance and war have had
a devastating effect on the local
economy in DRC, so finding the basic
necessities to provide for a family is
a daily struggle. Tens of thousands
of small-scale traders rely on the
border as a primary means for
survival. Since 2009, we have been
working to build trust across borders
and empower women traders.
5. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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In DRC we help improve the livelihoods
of women small-scale traders working
across the borders with Burundi, Rwanda
and Uganda. We bring together traders and
border officials to discuss and address trade
issues, and provide traders with training and
support to develop and organise cooperatives
and associations.
Tens of thousands of people work as cross-
border traders in eastern DRC. Two-thirds
of them are women. They help keep the local
economy afloat and contribute to improved
trust across borders. But they are subject to
harassment, are unaware of their rights, and
have limited access to markets and capital.
In 2013 we trained 977 women traders on
their legal rights and obligations, and 171
border agents on taxes, human rights and
gender. We also helped to create 27 new
traders’ cooperatives and associations,
produced leaflets on the border crossing
process and aired over 20 radio programmes
on cross-border trade.
TRADING FOR PEACE IN DRC
IMPROVING TRADE
RELATIONS IN UGANDA
We also work with traders in Uganda to
improve collaboration in the business
community and support more peaceful
relations with the government.
In 2013 we worked with the Kampala City
Traders Association to find peaceful ways of
addressing conflicts with the government,
leading to their adoption of non-violent
forms of protest.
Find out more at intalert.org/uganda
WATCH: Crossings: The journey to peace
intalert.org/crossings
Hopes for the future
From Goma to Gisenyi, Bukavu to
Cyangugu, the common wish of
Rwandan and Congolese cross-
border traders is that, one day,
there will be security and good
collaboration between countries in
the region, and that their trade will
be able to lift them and their families
out of their poverty.
Find out more about our work at
intalert.org/drc
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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6. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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We help diasporas support peace and
reconciliation in their countries of origin
or heritage and the countries where they
live. We open up collaboration between Sri
Lankans of different ethnicities in the UK
and Sri Lanka, including facilitating dialogue
between young parliamentarians in Sri Lanka
and the diaspora in the UK.
People’s connections with their countries of
origin or heritage are personal, emotional
and political. They influence their sense
of identity, community and ideology. This
has many positive aspects, which should
be celebrated. But in conflict-affected
communities, it can also perpetuate and even
exacerbate ethnic and communal tensions –
in the UK and abroad.
In 2013 we organised visits by British Sri
Lankans to Sri Lanka and by Sri Lankan MPs
to the UK, to promote the positive role that
diasporas can play in peacebuilding. We also
commissioned the Diaspora Diaries, a series
of documentaries telling the personal stories
of members of the Sri Lankan diaspora.
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA IN
RECONCILIATION IN SRI LANKA
ENGAGING BRITISH
PAKISTANI YOUTH
We also work with the Pakistani diaspora in
the UK, to support their engagement with
peacebuilding and development issues.
In 2013 we organised a study trip to Pakistan
for a group of young British Pakistanis,
so they could learn first-hand about the
interconnections between the two countries.
Find out more at intalert.org/uk
borders
security
PERCEPTI
“We did have differing perspectives
but all were respected and no one laid
judgement on someone else.”
— Akneeswaran ‘Akee’ Jeganathapillai
intalert.org/akee
WATCH: Diaspora Diaries: Video portraits
from the Sri Lankan diaspora
intalert.org/diaspora
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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7. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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assumptions
connections
political
loss
dislocationchallenge
experience
suspicion
otherengagement
investment influence
interaction
IONS
“We have met with significant
resistance to what we’re
trying to do, which is simply
to get people in a room
together and talk about the
conflict, about their own
identities as Sri Lankans…”
— Nikini Jayatunga
intalert.org/nikini
“Sri Lankans who are
living abroad … see the
positive aspects of
multiculturalism … These
are the lessons we need
to bring back as expats.”
— Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
intalert.org/amjad
STEREOTYPES
COLLABORATION
“The diaspora are a diverse
and dynamic community and
I wanted to explore some of
that diversity.”
— Kannan Arunasalam, filmmaker
intalert.org/kannan
IDENTITY
Find out more about our work at
intalert.org/srilanka
8. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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The dialogue session on the
Palestinian presence in Lebanon
was very effective ... We all felt
that we could take on some
initiatives with our parties to
alleviate their suffering...”
— Dialogue participant
I never cared to listen to the other side; I never
wanted to hear the opinion of the other side and I
always dismissed them. Now I can see their point of
view; now I can listen until they finish their argument
and I can happily sit down with them to talk.”
— Dialogue participant
ACTION
UNDERSTANDING
Yesterday a conflict erupted
between our group and
another political party ... I
was able to easily pick up
the phone to my dialogue
partner to resolve the issue
and to calm the situation.”
— Dialogue participant
Dialogue sessions
allowed us to develop
a real friendship and
relationship of trust
that we are now able to
resolve some serious
problems by contacting
each other.”
— Dialogue participant
TRUST
COOPERATION
Find out more about our work at
intalert.org/lebanon
9. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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In Lebanon we support dialogue between
youth leaders from 14 of the country’s
political parties. We bring them together to
discuss key political issues that affect the
daily lives of Lebanese citizens, building
relationships across political divides and
helping to address issues of importance for
Lebanon’s future development and security.
Lebanese society is deeply divided along
religious and sectarian lines. This has had
a significant effect on decision-making and
governance in the country, with political
policies and decisions often driven by identity
issues rather than practical solutions.
This has led to serious problems in public
services and safety.
In 2013 we organised a study trip for
the group to Switzerland to learn about
mechanisms for power-sharing and conflict
resolution, and provided them with training
in negotiation. We also held eight dialogue
sessions on issues including national defence
and managing oil and gas resources in the
country.
DOING POLITICS
DIFFERENTLY IN LEBANON
IMPROVING DIALOGUE
IN TUNISIA
We also support dialogue in Tunisia,
to improve relations between local
communities, civil society groups and the
government.
In 2013 we established an ongoing dialogue
process between civil society organisations
and the government to identify solutions
to challenges for the country’s transition
to democracy, including the polarisation
between Islamists and secularists.
Find out more at intalert.org/tunisia
This is a unique project; it is the
only one of its kind and has allowed
us to continue the dialogue with all
the political parties in spite of the
political deadlock in the country.”
— Dialogue participant
PERSEVERANCE WATCH: Politics of peace:
Interviews with youth leaders
intalert.org/politics
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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10. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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In Rwanda we help to address the social,
psychological and economic impacts of the
1994 genocide. We bring together survivors,
ex-combatants, ex-prisoners and young
people in ‘dialogue clubs’, where they can
share their experiences. We also provide
trauma counselling and microfinance
opportunities, to help people start to re-build
their lives.
Rwanda has come a long way since 1994.
But below the surface communities are
still deeply divided and fragmented as
a result of their experiences during and
since the genocide. Without greater healing
and reconciliation, there is a real danger
that these tensions will spiral into further
violence in the future.
In 2013 we ran dialogue clubs in 34
communities and 17 schools. We started 19
new trauma counselling groups, bringing the
total to 54, and provided support to over 600
new people. And our local partner provided
refresher training for trainers on how to
create and manage cooperatives.
HEALING FRACTURED
LIVES IN RWANDA
WATCH: Fractured Lives: The aftermath
of the Rwandan genocide
intalert.org/healing
SUPPORTING
RECONCILIATION IN LIBERIA
We also work on reconciliation in Liberia,
where we support the involvement of local
communities and civil society groups in
shaping this process.
In 2013 we worked with 37 community
dialogue groups in three of the counties most
affected by the civil war, to help identify the
ongoing threats to peace and feed into the
reconciliation agenda.
Find out more at intalert.org/liberia
TRAUMA COUNSELLING
We provide trauma counselling to those still
struggling to come to terms with the horrors of
the past, and we train local people to provide
psycho-social support in their communities.
“I am a Hutu woman who was married to a
Tutsi man. During the genocide my family was
attacked by my brothers and father … After
the trauma training I had the courage to call
my brothers … I now understand why they
committed murder and have forgiven them.”
Monica, Hutu survivor
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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11. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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“[The dialogue club] taught me how
to approach survivors and ask their
forgiveness. This has given me the
dignity I lost when I was in jail.”
Aloys, perpetrator
“I joined the dialogue club to find solace.
The trauma counselling was especially
helpful. The training helped me realise
there is no future for peace unless I can
live in peace with my neighbours, even
if they participated in my attack during
the war.”
Patricia, Tutsi survivor
DIALOGUE CLUBSWe organise groups known as ‘dialogue clubs’, where people affected bythe genocide can share their anger, guilt, fear and shame.
“I heard about a programme for
ex-combatants suffering from
depression, holding on to anger, and
realised I wasn’t alone. The first step
of healing was trauma counselling –
my hate was reduced and for the first
time in many years I no longer felt
isolated, lonely.”
Lambert, ex-combatant
MICROFINANCE
We offer microfinance loans to survivors,
ex-prisoners and ex-combatants,
helping them to work together to re-
build their lives and start developing
trust in one another.
“This pineapple plantation brings together
survivors, ex-prisoners and ex-combatants.
We work side by side for the common good.”
Alexis, ex-prisoner
Find out more about our work at
intalert.org/rwanda
12. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
12
“I think all of this will help me to re-think some things
and to think carefully about the words and
expressions I use…”
TV journalist, Bosnia study trip
Common ground
“I have realised that there is a lot in common
between us and that there is a chance that at some
point we will be able to interact again as good
neighbours.”
Online journalist, Training course
Heart of the peace process
“An exploration of the Northern Ireland conflict …
allows a number of principles to be identified which
must lie at the heart of a peace process if it is to
have any chance of success.”
Expert participant, Northern Ireland study programme
“I made new acquaintances on ‘the other side’, and
what I saw in Bosnia and Herzegovina gave me
some ideas about what can be done and what can’t,
and not only in my work.”
TV journalist, Bosnia study trip
Seeing it from “the other side”
Advancing the prospects for peace
In other news...
Download our report: intalert.org/20years
Read: intalert.org/journalists
Read: intalert.org/bosniatrip
“War can change nothing and give nothing. All
sides suffer the same tragedy, the loss of people.”
Online journalist, Bosnia study trip
Journalists’ dialogue brings personal transformation
“Communication helps us to leave aside
stereotypes and recognise individual people
on the other side of the divide.”
Online journalist, Training course
In 2013, International Alert organised various study programmes and training for Armenian and Azeri
journalists. These are some of their reflections and insights.
International Alert launches a landmark report on
reflections of 20 years of peacebuilding efforts
on the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
www.unheardvoicesnews.com
peacebuilding
13. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
13
In the Caucasus we encourage greater
collaboration between societies across
the Nagorny Karabakh conflict divide. We
empower Armenian and Azeri journalists
and civil society leaders to stimulate wider
debate and fresh thinking on the conflict, and
learn from experiences of peace efforts in
other places affected by violent conflict.
The Nagorny Karabakh war between
Armenians and Azeris in the 1980s and 1990s
ended with the closing of the borders and
little to no contact between the neighbours.
Over the years, this has led to even more
entrenched and bitter positions, and little
prospect for long-term peace.
In 2013 we organised study programmes for
journalists to Bosnia and Herzegovina and for
experts to Northern Ireland, from which they
shared insights in the media and at events
across the region. We also trained journalists
on media ethics and provided opportunities
for them to build professional contacts
across the conflict divide.
FINDING COMMON GROUND
IN THE CAUCASUS
PROMOTING PEACE
JOURNALISM IN TAJIKISTAN
We also work with young journalists in
Tajikistan, to promote mediation and greater
tolerance among young people living near the
border with Kyrgyzstan.
In 2013 we provided training for young
journalists on how to report on cross-
border issues in a more conflict-sensitive
way, improving their journalism skills
and increasing engagement with their
counterparts in Kyrgyzstan.
Find out more at intalert.org/tajikistanFind out more about our work at
intalert.org/caucasus
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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14. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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In 2014 International Alert is discussing a
new ‘strategic perspective’, an exercise we
undertake every five years to look ahead to
the next five years.
It is an extended complex discussion that
starts by asking, ‘What’s going on in the world
for both good and bad?’ It identifies some key
problems and issues for us to address, looks
at our experience and abilities, and prioritises
our main tasks. And it ends by asking, ‘What
kind of organisation do we need to be in order to
do that?’
The starting point is that peace is the big
under-reported good news story since the
end of the Cold War. Today there are fewer
wars (50 in 1990 compared to 32 in 2012) and
on average they are shorter and less lethal.
There have been more peace agreements
(646 from 1990–2007) and an increasing
proportion of them endure for longer.
There have also been more peacekeeping
operations, and significant and sometimes
massive international spending on recovery
from war.
Beneath the headline
The achievement of expanding the zone of
peace is real but limited in several ways.
The growth of peace has slowed. The
number of armed conflicts per year fell
steadily from the mid-1990s for a little over a
decade, but that trend has ended.
Ending the fighting is not the same as
building peace. It is a necessary start, but in
many cases the risk of a re-eruption is still
there.
Building peace needs sustained
international support. This is proving harder
to come by these days, with austerity in public
spending making the decision to start a new
peacebuilding operation even more sensitive.
Other kinds of violent conflict also
undermine security. Yet these are generally
not addressed by formal peace agreements
and the panoply of UN operations and
institutions.
Even with these limitations, the achievements
are real. A great deal has been learnt and
for all the failures, missteps and sometimes
catastrophically misguided political agendas,
the world is in a better place now than it could
have been.
Good. Because the next 20 years will make
the last 20 seem like a rehearsal for the
real thing.
Peace is the big under-reported good news story of the last 20 years. But what lies ahead?
Alert’s Secretary General Dan Smith looks at what’s in store for peacebuilding.
T H E C O N F L I C T H O R I Z O N
14
15. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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Rising pressures
Some long-term developments worldwide are
generating severe conflict risks.
Against a backdrop of a growing population –
7 billion worldwide, increasing by 100 million
a year – urbanisation is on the rise.
Urban population is already at 3.5 billion
and is rising by 125 million a year. This is a
demographic shift of unprecedented scale.
While urbanisation is not necessarily bad,
it does accelerate consumption of natural
resources.
Prices and demand for natural resources are
on an upward curve, which means increasing
competition between the major consumers.
2.6 billion people live on less than $2 a day
– well over a third of the world’s population.
Such inequality is dramatic and growing. And
because modern technology makes the world
more transparent, people with less know what
they are missing out on. This resentment is
easily politicised.
“Human security will be progressively
threatened as the climate changes,” says the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Societies that do not or cannot adapt or
become more resilient to climate change will
be unable to protect themselves.
Ways forward
To understand insecurity, the key is to
understand how problems interact.
The risk of violent conflict is high where there
has recently been violent conflict, where
authority is based on arbitrary power, and
where institutions to handle and resolve
conflicts fairly are weak or non-existent.
These characteristics will only become more
acute in the face of increasing urbanisation,
natural resource competition, inequality and
climate change.
Interlocking, interacting risks such as these
require combined responses based on
cooperation. This cannot be the ‘cooperation’
of one party telling the other what to do, but a
willing and mutual partnership. Approached
like that, managing the risks is possible.
At this stage in the discussion, we have
identified seven key pathways for cooperation:
1. Addressing the impact of climate change.
2. To achieve this requires moving inequality
to the centre of the international
development agenda.
3. The management of natural resources is
equally important. As long as governments
are unable to manage their natural
resources, they will be pushed around
by big powers and corporations. And as
long as populations are unable to properly
participate in managing resources, they
will be pushed around by whoever controls
the state’s levers of power.
4. To get to grips with these issues,
communities, organisations, individuals
and societies as a whole need to get to
grips with gender. Gender is the key to
understanding how we grow as people – as
women and as men – and therefore has a
critical effect on how we handle conflict.
5. What determines the quality of responses
to many of the risks we face is the strength
of institutions, especially local ones,
whether formal or informal.
6. While sustainable peace cannot be built
purely from the top down, the state is also
indispensable.
7. All this means that development strategies
need to recognise that peace, and growing
the modes and institutions that sustain
it, are as central to development as a
country’s economy and productivity.
These are the outputs of a work in progress
about how International Alert sees the world
and defines its tasks. To read my thoughts in
full on this topic, visit intalert.org/horizon
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
15
16. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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Published new research on the
links between environmental and
climate change and community
resilience in fragile contexts in
Bangladesh, India, Nepal and
Pakistan. Listen to our podcast on
the topic at intalert.org/climatepod
Expanded our economy and
peace work with mining and
oil companies, helping them to
improve how they operate in
conflict-affected areas, including
DRC, Peru and South Africa.
Published a review by Armenian
and Azeri partners on 20 years
of civil peacebuilding in the
Nagorny Karabakh context,
identifying signs of progress in a
challenging environment. Read
the report at intalert.org/20years
Accompanied a participatory
consultation process in the Kyauk
Phy special economic zone (SEZ)
in Rakhine state, Myanmar,
which we hope will provide a
good practice model for the
development of future SEZs, and
for participatory planning and
decision-making more broadly.
Advocated for international
institutions to change how they
work to contribute to peace in
fragile contexts, with the World
Bank, Asian Development Bank and
UN agencies taking on board our
recommendations. And collaborated
with the African Union to support
peace and security in Africa.
Advised the World
Bank and Dutch
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs on their Great
Lakes strategies,
and substantially
influenced the UN-
led International
Security and
Stabilization Support
Strategy for DRC.
Organised a visit by a group of young
cross-party MPs from Sri Lanka
to London, to explore models of
governance and democracy, and
continue their engagement with
Sri Lankans living in the UK as part
of ongoing reconciliation efforts.
Shed light on the ways in which myths
and stereotypes about the conflicts
in the South Caucasus are created,
communicated and used, enhancing the
analytical skills of peace activists and
creating tools to counter manipulation.
Read the research at intalert.org/myths
Brought together
indigenous peoples’
groups, local authorities
and businesses in the
Philippines, to adopt
a planning tool to
better manage natural
resources within
ancestral lands.
Played a key role in convening
the second annual interfaith
dialogue meeting in Kano,
Nigeria between Christians
and Muslims, helping to build
confidence among leaders
of the two faith groups.
Co-organised a conference on natural resource
governance and management in Liberia, and
the importance of conflict-sensitive business
practices, attended by the government,
civil society, UN agencies and donors.
Established ‘District Task Forces’ in
four districts in Rwanda to create
channels of communication between
communities affected by land reform
and government authorities, to help
anticipate and resolve conflicts.
Carried out groundbreaking
research on the links between
organised crime, violence and
instability, and what it means
for peacebuilding. Read the
report at intalert.org/crime
16
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
17. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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Completed a three-year
research project in Burundi,
Colombia, Nepal and
Uganda on re-thinking
gender in peacebuilding.
Held a four-day
training on
gender-responsive
peacebuilding
for UN Women
and the UN’s
Peacebuilding
Support Office
in New York.
Completed an innovative project on
the complex interaction between
climate and environmental
change as a challenge to
sustainable development
and peace in Tajikistan.
Extended our reconciliation
and reintegration work
in Rwanda to Burundi, to
support those most affected
by conflict and address their
social and economic needs.
Conducted a national survey
on public perceptions of
security and insecurity in
Lebanon, to contribute to
greater debate on some
previously overlooked
aspects of this issue.
Helped business leaders
in Nepal advocate for
improvements in security
provision and policy,
including facilitating
meetings with security
services, leading to increased
cooperation in addressing
public security issues.
Held an international conference
on the politics of the Sochi 2014
Olympics, offering an alternative
view to the mainstream debate on
conflict and security in and around
Abkhazia. Listen to our podcast
on the topic at intalert.org/sochi
Worked with businesses in
Pakistan to map out ‘business
for peace’ plans to promote peace
as part of sustainable mining,
corporate social responsibility
projects, micro-enterprises,
and by addressing the economic
dimensions of urban violence.
Published a Peace
Focus paper on
how to apply a
peacebuilding
approach to the crisis
in Mali, and followed
up with more in-
depth research.
Read the paper at
intalert.org/malipaper
Established a platform of 20
CSOs in Tunisia, including
young people’s and women’s
associations, trade unions,
the media and development
experts, to share experience and
allow for better advocacy and
participation in decision-making.
Provided mediation training to 750 local
community members across Kyrgyzstan and
over 80 young people in Batken province, and
successfully lobbied local authorities to support
mediation as a conflict resolution tool.
Co-hosted 11 workshops
across the UK, attended by
representatives from 235
organisations, to promote
improved local relations
and start building a national
network to share best practice
and influence policy.
Published our findings on the
economic benefits of rehabilitating
the railways in the South
Caucasus, the first evidence-
based research on the subject,
helping to debunk myths and
preconceptions about the links
to peace, and improve public
debate on the topic. Read the
report at intalert.org/railway
Improved information
sharing between
communities, companies
and the government on oil
exploration in Uganda.
17
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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If you want to make
“ peace with your enemy,
you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
partner.”
19. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
19
FINANCIAL RESULTS
Treasurer’s report
Efforts made by International Alert in 2013 to strengthen relationships with institutions, increase
income from donations and gifts and strengthen restricted fundraising capacity confirmed Alert’s
ability to continue to grow at a steady rate; incoming resources (restricted and unrestricted)
totalled £13 million (December 2013).
Total charitable expenditure in 2013 was £13.5
million, an increase of £0.76 million from
2012 (£12.74 million).
Unrestricted income for 2013 amounted to
£2.95 million (£2.60 million in 2012); £1.90
million from generated funds (£1.75 million
of institutional grants; £141,000 in donations
and gifts and £4,000 of investment income)
and a further £1.05 million from charitable
activities. Unrestricted expenditure totalled
£2.66 million; £2.38 million on charitable
activities; £196,000 of costs went towards
generating funds and £83,000 towards
governance costs. The balance of unrestricted
funds at year end was £1.93 million and
restricted funds at year end were £2.46
million, a decrease of £830,000 on 2012, when
the balance of restricted funds at year end
was £3.29 million.
International Alert’s Reserves Policy requires
general unrestricted reserves, excluding any
part which represents the book value of fixed
assets, to be sufficient to cover two months
of unrestricted expenditure and programme
employment costs (aggregating £1.2 million).
Unrestricted reserves are held primarily as a
contingent buffer that can be used to provide
a degree of stability in an uncertain economic
climate or a period of adverse funding. They
also enable International Alert to make long-
term investment in competence among staff
and investment in new programmes, to fund
fixed assets, manage fluctuations in cash flow
or to respond rapidly to opportunities that
may present themselves. The Reserves Policy
is subject to annual review.
Total unrestricted reserves, including general
unrestricted reserves at 31 December 2013
19
20. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
20
were £1.94 million (compared to £1.648
million at 31 December 2012), of which
general unrestricted reserves (excluding
designated funds and fixed assets) were
£1.21 million (compared to £1.059 million
at 31 December 2012). These figures
reflect a contribution of £287,000 to the
reserve, which the Management Advisory
Committee of the Board agreed to distribute
by contributing £101,000 to the General
Unrestricted Reserves, allocating £16,000 to
the Organisational Investment Fund for long-
term investment and setting aside £170,000
to a Designated Development Fund for
expenditure during 2014.
Alert’s organisational structure and financial
model, implemented at the end of 2011, has
proved to be efficient and cost-effective;
compared to its predecessor, it does more
to help Alert take advantage of emerging
trends in donor funding and to secure greater
income from private donations.
In conclusion, continuous improvements
to programme design and implementation,
enhanced internal systems including close
monitoring of incoming and outgoing
resources, together with capacity-building
and year-on-year investment in strategic
development have all contributed to a strong
financial picture at the end of 2013. Work
underway to diversify sources of unrestricted
income and to increase contributions to
indirect costs has borne fruit, which we
believe will continue into 2014, along with
efforts to increase restricted income streams.
A very good contribution to reserves was
made in 2013 and International Alert’s
balance sheet and cash flow at year end
were secure. Building on a strong financial
picture at the end of 2013, overall funds being
carried forward to 2014 are £4.40 million
(compared to £4.94 million carried forward
to 2012). We are optimistic that we will have
a continued period of financial growth in
2014, notwithstanding the current economic
climate.
The summary financial statement contains
information from the statement of financial
activities and the balance sheet for the
year ended 31 December 2013, but is not
the full statutory report and accounts. The
full financial statements were approved by
the Trustees on 14 May 2014 and will be
submitted to the Charity Commission and to
Companies House in due course. The auditor
has issued an unmodified report on the full
financial statements and on the consistency of
the Trustees’ Annual Report (which includes
the Strategic Report) with those financial
statements. Their report on the full annual
financial statements contained no statement
under sections 498 (2) (a), 498 (2) (b) or 498
(3) of the Companies Act 2006. The summary
financial statement does not contain sufficient
information to allow for a full understanding
of the financial affairs of the charity. The
extra details are to be found in the full report
and financial statements referred to above.
Copies of the full annual accounts including
the Trustees’ Annual Report may be obtained
from the charity’s head office.
Pierre Schori
Chair
International Alert
21. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
21
We have examined the summary financial statement for the year ended 31 December 2013 set
out above and on the previous pages.
RESPECTIVE
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
TRUSTEES AND THE AUDITOR
The Trustees are responsible for preparing
the summary financial statement in
accordance with applicable United Kingdom
law and the recommendation of the Charities
SORP (2005).
Our responsibility is to report to you our
opinion on the consistency of the summary
financial statement with the full annual
financial statements.
We also read the other information contained
in the summarised financial statements and
consider the implications for our report if we
become aware of any apparent misstatements
or material inconsistencies with the summary
financial statement. The other information
comprises only the Treasurer’s Report and
the two pictorial representations of income
and expenditure.
BASIS OF OPINION
We conducted our work in accordance with
Practice Note 11 issued by the Auditing
Practices Board. Our report on the company’s
full annual financial statements describes
the basis of our opinion on those financial
statements.
OPINION
In our opinion the summarised financial
statement is consistent with the full annual
financial statements of International Alert for
the year ended 31 December 2013.
Statutory auditor
Devonshire House
60 Goswell Road
London
EC1M 7AD
4 June 2014
Independent Auditor’s Statement to the
Trustees of International Alert
22. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
22
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
22
Balance sheet at 31 December 2013
2013
£’000
2012
£’000
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 88 140
Current assets
Debtors 1,505 1,809
Cash at bank and in hand 3,766 4,346
5,271 6,155
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year 962 1,358
962 1,358
Net current assets 4,309 4,797
Total net assets 4,397 4,937
Funds
Unrestricted
General funds 1,300 1,199
Designated for Development 170 -
Designated to Organisational Investment Fund 465 449
1,935 1,648
Restricted 2,462 3,289
4,397 4,937
‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13
£12,962,652
£12,978,667
£13,028,000
£9,902,000
£10,510,000
£10,367,000
£7,467,000
Africa Programme
Eurasia Programme
Asia Programme
Peacebuilding Issues
Programme
Emerging Programme
Fundraising
Management and
Administration
OUR INCOME
HOW WE SPENT YOUR
MONEY IN 2013
38%
22%
15%
13%
10%
1%
1%
23. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
23
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Statement of financial activities (including income and
expenditure account) for the year ended 31 December 2013
Unrestricted Funds
£’000
Restricted Funds
£’000
2013 Total
£’000
2012 Total
£’000
Incoming resources
Incoming resources from generated funds
Voluntary income
Institutional grants 1,753 - 1,753 1,361
Donations and gifts 141 - 141 111
Investment income 4 8 12 22
Incoming resources from charitable activities
Working with people to make a positive difference for peace 786 7,180 7,966 8,251
Improving international policies that affect the prospects for peace 242 2,540 2,782 2,967
Strengthening the peacebuilding sector 23 285 308 267
Total incoming resources 2,949 10,013 12,962 12,979
Resources expended
Costs of generating funds 196 - 196 199
Charitable activities
Working with people to make a positive difference for peace 1,436 7,830 9,266 8,665
Improving international policies that affect the prospects for peace 680 2,721 3,401 3,256
Strengthening the peacebuilding sector 267 289 556 538
Governance costs 83 - 83 77
Total resources expended 2,662 10,840 13,502 12,735
Net incoming resources 287 (827) (540) 244
Funds brought forward at 1 January 2013 1,648 3,289 4,937 4,693
Funds carried forward at 31 December 2013 1,935 2,462 4,397 4,937
24. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
24
DONORS
International Alert would like to thank our
strategic donors:
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Irish Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade
Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency
UK Department for International
Development UKAID
We are grateful for the support of all our
other donors, who make our work possible:
Anglo American Services Ltd.
Asian Development Bank
Australian Government’s Overseas Aid
Programme (AusAID)
C B and H H Taylor 1984 Trust
Coffey International Ltd.
Commonwealth Secretariat
Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ)
Development Alternative Initiatives
Ecopetrol, Bogotá, Colombia
European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
European Commission
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK
Foundation for the Development of
Human Resources
Foundation for the Global Compact
HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation
Humanity United
International Resources Group
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, UK
Joyce Green Association
Kyrgyz Republic’s Community
Development and Investment
Agency (ARIS)
Management Systems International
(MSI)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
Misereor Germany
Open Society Initiatives
Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD)
Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe (OSCE)
Shell International B.V.
Talk for a Change
The Allan and Nesta Ferguson
Charitable Trust
The Centre for Cultural Relations
The Morel Trust
The Open Gate Trust
The Souter Charitable Trust
Transition International
United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP)
United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN Women)
United States Agency for International
Development (USAID)
United States Department of State
Workers Beer Company (BWTUC Ltd.)
World Bank
Zentrum für Internationale
Friedenseinsätze (ZIF)
PARTNERS
We acknowledge our partnerships with:
GLOBAL
African Institute for Corporate
Citizenship
CARE International
CDA Collaborative Learning Projects
Inc.
Colombian Mining and Energy
Committee (CME)
Conciliation Resources
Crisis Management Initiative (CMI)
DanChurchAid – Folkekirkens
Engineers Without Borders
EPLO and all its members
Folke Bernadotte Academy
Gender Action for Peace and Security
(GAPS UK)
INDEPAZ
Institute of Development Studies
International Crisis Group
King’s College London
Observer Research Foundation (ORF),
India
Occidental de Colombia
Oxfam
Pact
Search for Common Ground
South Asia Network for Security and
Climate Change (SANSaC)
Swiss National Centre of Competence
in Research North-South (NCCR
N-S), Nepal
The African Centre for the Constructive
Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
The Alliance Against Hunger and
Malnutrition (AAHM)
The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
The Energy Resources Institute (TERI),
India
The Hague Institute for Global Justice
University of Karachi, Pakistan
Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars
World Bank – Centre on Conflict,
Security and Development
AFRICA
African Union
13 Suns Tours P.L.C.
African Union Commission: Peace and
Security Department, Department
of Political Affairs, Department of
Economic Affairs, Directorate of
Communication and Information
Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
International Leadership Institute
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia
Oxfam International
DRC
Action pour la Paix et la Concorde
(APC)
Aide et Action pour la Paix (AAP)
Association d’Appui à la Promotion de
l’Entrepreneuriat Local (APPEL-
Kivu)
Association d’Appui aux Initiatives de
Base (APIBA)
CARE International
Collectif des Associations Féminines
pour le Développement (CAFED)
Démarche pour une Interaction entre
Organisations à la Base et les
Autres Sources de Savoir (DIOBASS)
Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO)
Kvinna til Kvinna
La Commission Diocésaine Justice et
Paix (CDJP)
Le Caucus des Femmes de Sud Kivu
pour la Paix
Programme de Stabilisation et
Reconstruction (STAREC),
Coordination Provinciale du Nord-
Kivu
Réseau des Femmes Africaines
Ministres et Parlementaires en RDC
(REFAMP)
Réseau Haki na Amani (RHA)
Search for Common Ground
Solidarité des Femmes Activistes pour
la Défense des Droits Humains
(SOFAD)
Solidarités Féminines pour la Paix et le
Développement Intégral (SOFEPADI)
The Stabilisation Support Unit (SSU)
of the United Nations Organization
Stabilization Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
(MONUSCO)
Liberia
African Union Liaison Office
Association of Female Lawyers of
Liberia (AFELL)
Centre for Justice and Peace Studies
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
New African Research and
Development Agency (NARDA)
Mali
Mouvement Malivaleurs
Nigeria
British Council
Social Development Direct
Rwanda and Burundi
Association des Femmes Rapatriées
du Burundi (AFRABU)
Association Rwandaise des Conseillers
en Traumatisme (ARCT-Ruhuka)
Collectif des Associations Féminines et
ONG du Burundi (CAFOB)
Dushirehamwe
Duterimbere IMF (Institution de Micro-
Finance) Ltd.
Duterimbere NGO
IBUKA
Imbaraga NGO
Institut de Recherche et de Dialogue
pour la Paix (IRDP)
National Commission for the
Demobilisation and Reintegration of
Ex-Combatants
National Commission for the Fight
Against Genocide (CNLG)
National Unity and Reconciliation
Commission (NURC)
Pro-Femmes/Twesehamwe
Radio Isanganiro
Réseau Femmes et Paix (RFP)
Rwanda Natural Resources Authority
(RNRA)
Transitional Justice Consultation Group
Umuseke
USAID LAND Project
Sierra Leone
African Union Liaison Office
Campaign for Good Governance
Mano River Women’s Peace Network
(MARWOPNET)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Network Movement for Justice and
Development
Uganda
Buliisa Initiative for Rural Development
Organisation (BIRUDO)
Civil Society Coalition for Oil in Uganda
(CSCO)
Gulu University
Kabarole Research and Resource
Centre (KRC)
Kampala City Traders Association
(KACITA)
Kitara Heritage Development Agency
(KHEDA)
Makerere University
Northern Uganda Business Forum for
Peace
Parliamentary Forum on Oil and Gas
(PFOG)
Refugee Law Project (RLP)
Rural Initiative for Community
Empowerment (RICE – West Nile)
Saferworld
Tullow Oil
Uganda Christian University
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
24
25. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
25
Uganda Investment Authority
Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi
Uganda National Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (UNCCI)
Voluntary Initiative Support Organization
(VISO)
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Lebanon
Frame Beirut
Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Permanent Peace Movement
CAUCASUS & CENTRAL ASIA
Agency for Technical Cooperation and
Development (ACTED)
Association of Women of Abkhazia
Caucasian House
Caucasus Business and Development
Network (CBDN)
Centre for Humanitarian Programmes
Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS) under
the President of the Republic of
Tajikistan
Coalition for Democracy and Civil
Society
Committee for Youth Affairs, Sport and
Tourism under the Government of
Tajikistan
Council of Europe Office of the
Commissioner for Human Rights
DanChurchAid
Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
European Partnership for the Peaceful
Settlement of the Conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh (EPNK)
Foundation for Tolerance
Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
Inter-Church Organisation for
Development Cooperation (ICCO)
Kyrgyz Agency for Community
Development and Investment (ARIS)
Kyrgyz President’s Administration
M-Vector
Nihol
Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe (OSCE)
Osh Media Center
Public Committee for Development of
Tajikistan
Public Council for Foreign and Security
Policy
Representative Office of the Institute for
War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in
the Republic of Tajikistan
Rushd
Save the Children, Netherlands
Society for Humanitarian Research
Sputnik Kyrgyzstana
Youth and Society
SOUTH & SOUTHEAST ASIA
Myanmar
British Embassy
Myanmar Business Coalition on Aids
(MBCA)
Union of Myanmar Federation of
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(UMFCCI) – CSR Unit
Nepal
Antenna Foundation Nepal (AFN)
Center for Legal Research and Resource
Development (CeLRRd)
Equal Access Nepal (EAN)
Federation of Nepalese Journalists
(FNJ)
Forum for Women, Law and
Development (FWLD)
Institute for Human Rights and
Communication Nepal (IHRICON)
Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre (LACC)
National Business Initiative (NBI)
National Judicial Academy (NJA)
Radio Sagarmatha
Saferworld
Youth Action Nepal (YAN)
Pakistan
British High Commission
European Union
London School of Business and Finance
Oxfam Novib (Pakistan Programme)
Society for Community Strengthening
and Promotion of Education,
Balochistan
Sustainable Development Policy
Institute (SDPI)
UN Global Compact, Pakistan Chapter
We Can End All Violence Against Women
- Pakistan Chapter
Philippines
Aboitiz Power, Inc.
Agusan del Sur Environment and
Sustainable Development Council
Alternate Forum for Research in
Mindanao (AFRIM), Inc.
Asian Institute of Management –
Stephen Zuellig Graduate School of
Development
Asian Institute of Management –
Team Energy Center for Bridging
Leadership
Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) Regional
Government
Bangsa Iranun Kababaihan (BAI-KA)
Bangsamoro Development Authority
Bangsamoro Transition Commission
Brooke’s Point Irrigators Association
CAMMPACAMM Tribal Council
Comval Provincial Tribal Association
Davao Multistakeholder Group on
Energy Concerns (DMGENCO)
Environmental Legal Assistance Center
GPH Negotiating Panel and Secretariat
House of Representatives – Committee
on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity
Iligan Institute of Technology of the
Mindanao State University
Indigenous Peoples Apostolate
Indigenous Peoples Center for
Development Services
Integrated Mangrove Growers
Organization
Intergovernmental Fiscal Policy Board
International Monitoring Team
Iranun Chamber of Commerce
Joint Normalization Council
Laak Tribal Council
Mary Mediatrix of All Grace Foundation
MILF Negotiating Panel and Secretariat
Mindanao Business Council
Mindanao Development Authority
Mindanao Multistakeholders Group
(MMG)
Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute
Mindanao State University
Monkayo Tribal Council
Montevista Integrated Tribal Association
Municipal Local Government of Brooke’s
Point, Palawan
Municipal Local Government of Parang,
Maguindanao
Municipal Local Government of Rosario,
Agusan del Sur
Muslim Business Forum
Nagkakaisang Tribu ng Palawan
National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process
Pailig Development Foundation, Inc.
Palawan Council for Sustainable
Development
Panlalawigang Asosasyon ng mga Ayta
sa Bataan
Penauntungan Et Kapalawanon
Philippine National Police
Pinagkaisang Lakas ng mga Ayta na
Matalangao at Ulingan
Provincial Local Governmental of
Compostela Valley
Samahang Magsasaka na Sumbiling and
Taratak
Senate of the Philippines – Committee
on Peace, Unification and
Reconciliation and Committee on
Public Order and Safety
Tabang Ako Siyap Ko Bangsa
Iranun Saya Ko Kalilintad Ago
Kapamamagayon (TASBIKKA), Inc.
Talacogon Tribal Council
Teduray Lambangian Dulangan Manobo
Ancestral Domain Council
Therma South, Inc.
Therma Visayas, Inc.
Third Party Monitoring Team
Timuay Justice and Governance
Tri-peoples Concern for Peace Progress
and Development of Mindanao
(TRICOM)
Tribal Health Workers of Bataan
United Tribal Council of Elders and
Leaders
Western Mindanao State University
Sri Lanka
Achieving Real Change (ARC)
Association of Professional Sri Lankans
in the UK (APSL)
Business for Peace Alliance (BPA)
Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)
Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association
Commonwealth Secretariat
Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council
(CYEC)
Congress of Religions
Cordoba Foundation
Good Practice Group
International Organization for Migration
(IOM)
Kadirgamar Institute
Muslim Aid Sri Lanka (MASL)
National Secretariat for Non-
Governmental Organizations
National Youth Services Council
One Text Initiative (OTI)
Peacebuilding and Development
Institute Sri Lanka (PDI-SL)
Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS)
South Asia Policy Research Institute
(SAPRI)
Sri Lanka Development Journalists’
Forum (SDJF)
Sri Lanka High Commission in London
Sri Lanka UK Business Chamber
Sri Lanka Youth Parliament
Tamil Information Centre
The Mahatma Gandhi Centre (MGC)
The National Christian Council
The North East Interfaith Forum (NEIFR)
Verite Research
Voices for Reconciliation
Young Political Leaders Forum (YPLF)
EUROPE
United Kingdom
Global Education Derby
Lancashire Global Education Centre
Music in Detention
Stockwell Partnership
Talk for a Change
West London YMCA
Y Care International
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
25
26. ANNUAL REPORT 2013
26
With your support,we can help
millions of people
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