Annual Report and Accounts For year ended 31 December 2019 About International Alert International Alert works with people directly affected by conflict to build lasting peace. We focus on solving the root causes of conflict with people from across divides. From the grassroots to policy level, we bring people together to build sustainable peace. www.international-alert.org © International Alert 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without full attribution. Layout: D.R. ink Cover image: © Joerg Boethling/Alamy Contents Organisational details 2 Message from the Chair of our Board of Trustees 3 Annual report 4 About us 5 Vision 5 Mission 5 Our work in 2019 6 Activities 6 Changes 7 Locations 8 Progress against our goals in 2019 10 Organisational goals 10 Programme goals 12 Priorities for 2020 21 Strategic Report 22 Structure, governance and management 22 Financial review 24 Acknowledgements 28 Accounts 31 Organisational details Trustees Ambassador (retired) Carey Cavanaugh (US) – Chair (also directors Gregor Stewart* (UK) – Honorary Treasurer of the company) Carol Allen-Storey (US) (resigned 14 May 2019) Hans Bolscher (Netherlands) Christopher Deri (US) Abir Haj Ibrahim (Syria) Padma Jyoti (Nepal) Oliver Kemp* (UK) (resigned 9 March 2020) Dr Alaa Murabit (Libya/Canada) (resigned 14 May 2019) Lisa Lynn Rose (US/Northern Ireland) Erin Segilia Chase* (UK) * Denotes member of Management Advisory Committee in 2019 Principal officers Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive Officer (until 30 April 2019) Michael Young, Chief Executive Officer (from 2 September 2019) Susan McCready, Chief Operating Officer, Company Secretary (until 13 March 2020) Jessica Banfield, Director of Programmes (from 1 April 2019) Mohsin Baluch, Chief Finance Officer (until 14 April 2020) Auditors Haysmacintyre LLP 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1AG, UK Bankers National Westminster Bank PO Box 35, 10 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TT, UK Solicitors YESS Law (employment legal advice) New Wing, Somerset House, London, WC2R 1LA, UK Clarkslegal (immigration legal advice) 12 Henrietta Street, London, WC2E 8LH, UK Status Company limited by guarantee without share capital, governed by Memorandum and Articles of Association, incorporated on 6 August 1987, registered as a charity on 24 September 1987 Registered office 346 Clapham Road, London, SW9 9AP, UK International Alert is a registered charity (registration number 327553) and a company limited by guarantee (registration number 2153193) in England and Wales. International Alert | Annual Report and Accounts 2019 | Annual Report | 2 Message from the Chair of our Board of Trustees This report comes at a time of great uncertainty. back her considerable experience of Alert. We stayed Violence and poverty sadly remain endemic and social focused on delivering our mission and maintaining division is on the rise. Questions are being raised steady operations despite these changes, thanks to about the benefits of wider international cooperation. our peerless team across programmes, finance and Now the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19) operations in London and worldwide, and steady pandemic is spreading across the globe with an ever- engagement, guidance and support from our Board climbing death toll. This virus has reshaped everyday of Trustees. life: sharply diminishing economic activity, heightening We believe COVID-19 will engender greater social unemployment, and bringing international migration unrest, violence and conflict. Where it has spread and travel to a near standstill. While much is unknown unchecked, it is impacting minority and marginalised about what lies ahead, one thing is certain: the communities the hardest. As the majority of the programmes and activities carried out by International world’s poor already live in fragile and conflict- Alert and our partners in the peacebuilding sector are affected states, this pandemic will demand greater needed now more than ever. engagement by the peacebuilding sector. It will In May last year, we adopted an ambitious five-year also require us to continually adjust and adapt strategy – Breaking cycles of violence, building cycles our strategy, tactics and operational structure to of peace. Its strategic ambitions for peacebuilding succeed in this changed environment. We are already remain equally relevant today: to strengthen taking steps to bolster our resilience and expand communities’ voices and capacity; to harness the our capacity to maintain our vital mission. We are power of the private sector; to help foster just, especially grateful for the continued support of our inclusive and accountable governance; to ensure strategic donors – the Dutch, Irish and Swedish citizens’ priorities are reflected in peace processes; governments – during this time. and to champion gender and conflict sensitivity in In my home state of Kentucky in the United States, ways that contribute to peace. This annual report is the COVID-19 mantra is ‘We are all in this together; peppered with examples of how we are furthering we are all on one team’. As a global community, the goals laid out in our new strategy. From Mali to we must not lose sight of the importance of global Afghanistan to the Philippines, our teams – working solidarity in the face of today’s manifold challenges. directly with our partners and local communities – Peacebuilding focuses on increasing understanding, are helping promote peace not only at the grassroots trust and social cohesion. We are committed to level, but also nationally, regionally and globally. striving in partnership to safeguard and build upon We faced two key personnel changes in 2019. the development gains and steps towards peace Our previous CEO, Harriet Lamb, unexpectedly realised to date and to ensure that peacebuilding decided to leave in early 2019, with her replacement, is an integral part of global efforts to respond to Michael Young, only coming on board in September. the pandemic. Mike brings to the role decades of success in the We will get through this together. peacebuilding sector, having held senior positions at Mercy Corps and the International Rescue Committee, coupled with considerable field work in the Middle East, Africa and south Asia. We also had turnover with our Director of Programmes, with Jessie Banfield returning to the organisation from the Carey Cavanaugh United Nations Development Programme, bringing US ambassador (retired), Chair of International Alert 3 | Annual Report | Annual Report and Accounts 2019 | International Alert Annual Report Trustees’ and strategic reports International Alert | Annual Report and Accounts 2019 | Annual Report | 4 About us International Alert works with people directly affected by conflict to build lasting peace. We focus on solving the root causes of conflict with people from across divides. From the grassroots to policy level, we bring people together to build sustainable peace. Peace is just as much about communities living together, side by side, and resolving their differences without resorting to violence, as it is about people signing a treaty or laying down their arms. Peace is when you can walk your children to school in safety, feed your family or make a living, no matter who you are. That is why we bring people together to inspire and amplify our voice for peace. In collaboration with local communities, partners, businesses and policy-makers, we turn our in-depth research and analysis into practical solutions that make a difference on the ground. Vision Our vision is that people and their societies can resolve conflicts without violence, working together to build sustainable and inclusive peace. Mission Our mission is to break cycles of violence and to build sustainable peace through: working with people directly affected by violent conflict to find lasting solutions; shaping policies and practices to reduce and prevent violence, and to support sustainable peace; and collaborating with all those striving for peace to strengthen our collective voice and impact. 5 | Annual Report | Annual Report and Accounts 2019 | International Alert Our work in 2019 In 2019, we ran projects in 21 countries and territories, with training, research or one-off consultancies and business partnerships in a further 18. In total, we implemented 114 projects, 21 of which took place in multiple regions. Activities Throughout the year, together with our partners, we engaged and supported 276,301 people through dialogue, training, advocacy, accompaniment, research and outreach activities. Of these, 52% were women and 47% were men, with just under 1% of people identifying as ‘other’ or preferring not to reveal their gender identity. 335 263 116 109 dialogue trainings, advocacy and other meetings capacity- outreach activities building and mentoring 27,301 people 20,232 people 206,348 people 22,420 people 12,538 women 10,922 women 112,063 women 8,095 women 14,059 men 9,268 men 92,977 men 13,938 men 704 other 42 other 1,308 other 387 other International Alert | Annual Report and Accounts 2019 | Annual Report | 6 Changes Our teams record the ways in which their work effects change by tracking project data and using outcome-harvesting techniques. These results reflect the changes that take place in individuals, institutions and societies following our engagement – whether directly or indirectly. Changes in Changes in Changes in knowledge and behaviour