The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT)

Established	2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Founders	Mark Freeman
Type	Non-governmental organization
Legal status	Non-profit organisation
Purpose	Aid transitions to peace and democracy
Headquarters	Barcelona, Spain
Key people	Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi (Chairman) [1]
Website	www.ifit-transitions.org

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 concluded in 2016, and is active across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

Founded by Mark Freeman in 2012 following the onset of the Arab Spring, IFIT serves as a resource for local parties negotiating conflict resolution, establishing short-term priorities and setting long-term transition goals. It hosts several initiatives and practice groups.

Objectives

Founded in 2012 after the Arab Spring, the institute aims to help fragile and conflict-affected states transition sustainably out of war, crisis or authoritarianism. ^{[2] [3] [4]} It hosts policy and consensus-building lessons to support locally led efforts at reducing polarisation and breaking cycles of conflict or repression. ^[5]

Donors have included the European Commission and the governments of Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada and the United Kingdom. Private donors include the Ford Foundation, Sida, Robert Bosch Stiftung, the European Endowment for Democracy, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the United Nations Development Programme. The institute is active in Afghanistan, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Organisation Structure

IFIT operates globally through a decentralised group of 330 experts working as members of staff or within governance bodies, thematic practice groups, country brain trusts, regional programmes or global initiatives. ^[6] It is headquartered in Barcelona. ^[7] It's a member of three NGO networks: the UN's Mediation Support Network, alongside the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office. Their international council includes Gareth Evans, John Carlin, Nasser Saidi and Shaharzad Akbar.

Initiatives

Brain Trusts and Colombia peace process

The institute introduced national brain trusts in 2016, each having 15-18 members with expertise and influence. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} IFIT 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. ^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]} The first brain trust was set up in the aftermath, and is used to facilitate local dialogue in policy discussions. Each receives policy support from IFIT to help achieve strategic goals, such as shaping policies and fostering alliances. The institute also runs the Middle Belt Brain Trust in Nigeria and a brain trust in Venezuela. ^{[9] [17]}

Initiatives

IFIT has several initiatives, global and regional. Globally, the Peace Treaty Initiative seeks to develop an international law on peace negotiation, ^{[18] [19]} the Global Initiative on Polarization seeks to propose a definition of what polarisation is and how to tackle its negative effects, ^{[20] [21]} 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. ^{[5] [22]}

Regional initiatives

IFIT initiatives modelled 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.

References