Focus

Amplify, Verify, Engage

The Amplify, Verify, Engage project promotes democratic growth, participatory governance, and cross-border cooperation, by strengthening civil society and independent media across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.

Years active: 2021-present

The Amplify, Verify, Engage: Information for Democratisation and Good Governance in Eurasia project builds on IWPR's previous Norwegian-supported initiatives, including the Giving Voice, Driving Change project. AVE will continue to promote democratic growth, participatory governance, and cross-border cooperation, by strengthening civil society and independent media across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.

Amplify, Verify, Engage (AVE) has three key objectives, through which IWPR will:

Amplify journalists and independent media voices producing verified, evidence-based reporting;
Verify reliable information by strengthening the capacity of civil society and independent media to counter misinformation and disinformation;
Engage civil society, independent media, public officials and the general public to foster increased dialogue and cooperation.

Established in collaboration with and funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the project directly supports Norwegian priorities and values, builds on long-standing Norwegian supported programming in the region, and expands on IWPR’s extensive local and regional networks of independent media and civic groups.

Latest from the project

Armenians Decry CSTO Inaction

Yerevan’s calls for assistance from the Russia-led security bloc have fallen on deaf ears.

Ahmad Mammadli in a screenshot of the video filmed from a police van after his arrest. The 21-year-old chair of the pro-democracy group Democracy-1918 (D18) was detained on September 20 on charges of resisting police officers; the activist has been a vocal critic of Azerbaijani authorities' shelling inside Armenia's territory.

Anti-War Sentiments on the Rise in Azerbaijan

The recent escalation caught many by surprise, emboldening voices among the political opposition.

A village in the Leylek District of the Batken region after conflicts. © State Border Guard Service

Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Violence Spurs Calls for Compromise

Complex geography and domestic politics mean a solution remains elusive.

carry bodies from unidentified makeshift graves at the Pishanske cemetery on September 19, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. © Paula Bronstein /Getty Images

Izyum Residents Describe Mass Graves and Torture

Nearly six months of Russian occupation have left behind a terrible legacy.

Armenia and Azerbaijani military posts face each other in Khoznavar administrative district, in the southern border region of Syunik. Fighting along the border have killed about 100 troops on both sides in the largest outbreak since the end of the war over Nagorno Karabakh in 2020.

Comment

Armenia-Azerbaijan: The Demise of Diplomacy?

New escalation threatens the outlook for engagement, despite the clear benefits for both sides.

Thousands of university places remained vacant as Armenia recorded unprecedented low results in the admission exams. © Dato/Wikimedia

Armenian Universities’ Lost Applicants

Thousands of places remain vacant as students fail entry tests due to low quality education and fewer applicants.

Andranik Chvushyan with his children in the family home in Aghavno. The 41-year-old jeweller moved with this family from Lebanon to the village in Nagorny Karabakh in 2017. They are among the residents of the Lachin corridor who are to leave their homes by August 25 as the Azerbaijani forces will regain control of the area. © Arshaluis Mghdesyan

Special Report

Azerbaijan to Regain Key Route After 30 Years

Armenians living in the Lachin corridor, which will soon be handed over, refuse to leave.

Political prisoners in Belarus infographic 1/8.

Belarus’ Political Prisoners

Even those who flee the country are liable to prosecution.

Ayten Osmanova arranges a colourful hijab in her atelier in Azerbaijan's capital Baku. The designer started her fashion business to cater for the increasing number of liberal believers who, like her, sought a modest apparel with a modern, colourful twist. © Lamyia Adilgizi

Azerbaijani Women Embrace The Headscarf

Islam is on the rise in the oil-rich, secular South Caucasus country and the hijab is a way to make a statement.

IWPR ACADEMY

Newsrooms Countering Disinformation

IWPR film and online course available in seven languages is supporting young journalists across the Eastern Partnership region and Central Asia to detect and combat disinformation in their daily work.

Related Social Media pages

The Amplify, Verify, Engage (AVE) project builds on IWPR's previous Norwegian-supported initiatives, including the Giving Voice, Driving Change project. AVE will continue to promote democratic growth, participatory governance, and cross-border cooperation, by strengthening civil society and independent media across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.