Safeguarding Civil Society in a Free Ukraine

Museums and heritage sites are not simply brick and mortar. They are active spaces that can and should energize the public – even in the direst of settings.

To this end, in October 2024, ICSC launched Museums Strengthen Democracy, a dynamic cultural exchange and capacity building project to equip ten museums and heritage sites in Ukraine to create programming that promotes social cohesion and democratic values in their communities.

Learn more about this 18-month initiative, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative here. 

Transforming Transitional Justice

In 2014, ICSC founded the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR), which has revolutionized transitional justice by advocating for locally driven, victim-centered approaches to truth and justice processes in post-conflict settings in a field that had become prescriptive and largely internationally implemented.

In its first ten years GIJTR forged connections between local and global efforts – creating new platforms for diverse actors to collaborate, amplifying grassroots recommendations at the highest levels of government, and mainstreaming trauma-informed, psychosocial support in formal transitional justice processes. Learn more in its newly released impact report.

UNITE: Creating Communities of Changemakers

In October 2024, with generous support from the Ford Foundation, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience launched UNITE, a global academy designed to equip nearly 100 human rights activists the world over with new skills, connections and financial support to lift up and counter the historic inequities at the root of cycles of conflict, climate injustice and systemic discrimination. 

Learn more and get involved here.

Dialogue in a Divided Country: Innovative Approaches to Combating Polarization in America

In order for democratic societies to flourish, there must be spaces for dialogue, places for communities to gather to find common solutions to their greatest challenges in a dignified and respectful way. Unfortunately, in the United States and many other countries, societies are so polarized that finding any “common ground” feels impossible. Indeed national polls reveal that Americans today feel not only more divided from the “other party,” but deep antipathy towards the people in that party.

Through robust training and consulting offerings, ICSC staff is on the ground nearly every day, working with members and non-members to ensure that they have the latest tools and strategies to bridge divides in their communities, while also being mindful of their own need for self-care and well-being. 

Learn more about our training and consulting services here. 

Displaced But Not Forgotten: Amplifying the Experiences and Expertise of Afghan Refugees

Afghan refugees continue to make up one of the largest displaced populations in the world – with nearly 11 million currently displaced within the country or in neighboring Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In response to this dire situation, in 2024 ICSC partnered with member site the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO) to implement a documentation and memorialization initiative that advances the rights of forcibly displaced victims from Afghanistan and promotes democratic values. 

Among other outputs, project partners published a manual to assist civil society actors in adopting inclusive and victim-centered documentation and memorialization approaches that empower forcibly displaced people to shape their own narratives and participate in decision-making processes. Read and share the resource here.

The Making Of Atrocities: Is Racism a Factor?

Our new podcast, “The Making of Atrocities: Is Racism a Risk Factor?” explores how systemic racism has led to mass atrocities and how this can be prevented in the future. The series amplifies lessons learned from GIJTR’s “Understanding Racism as a Risk Factor in Atrocity Crimes” project, and features project partners as well as global leaders working across the fields of racial justice, atrocity prevention and transitional justice, all with a goal of raising awareness about the rampant challenge of racism globally and reimagining strategies to promote racial justice and equity in the world.

Listen now!