1984-1987: Our Founding

International Alert was created more than 20 years ago in a very different era. The 1980s were characterised by a struggle for world power between the USA and USSR. War and peace were largely depicted in relation to that global rivalry, and determined by who took what side, with what forces. While conflicts between nations were decreasing towards the end of the Cold War, internal conflicts were dangerously increasing.

In this environment, efforts to promote sustainable development in many parts of the world were often undermined by violent conflict. A connection was seen between group conflict, stagnation of development, and gross violations of human rights. Governments realised that development programmes could not progress while violent conflict and human rights violations prevailed. At the same time, human rights workers recognised that the protection of political rights in conflict zones was not simply about identifying and highlighting individual violations – but also required preventative strategies and action. A different approach was desperately needed.

In 1984 and 1985, two consultations explored the potential role for non-government actors in preventing and resolving internal conflict. Unlike governments, these organisations were able to ask questions and provide information without appearing to intrude in other states’ affairs. The discussions brought together people from varying backgrounds, including internationally renowned experts in human rights, international law and conflict studies; NGOs and development agencies; and ministries of foreign affairs and politicians. They concluded that a forum should be created to address internal violence and to alert governments and world opinion to developing crises.

Bridging theory and practice

International Alert was born of this urgency to focus attention on problems of group conflict which violate human rights, inhibit development and result in mass killings and genocide. It was launched in April 1985 as The Standing International Forum on Ethnic Conflict, Development, and Human Rights (SIFEC). The organisation not only believed meaningful action should be based on solid research, it also understood it was not enough to tackle symptoms without coming to grips with root causes. Thus, it aimed to analyse the causes and effects of internal violent conflict, draw attention to their dangers, propose solutions, and provide opportunities for discussion and mediation.

SIFEC merged with the US organisation, International Alert on Genocide and Massacres, and established the first International Alert Board of Trustees in April 1986. Underlying this merger was a shared concern for human suffering, violations of human rights, and economic and social disruption. The merging of the two NGOs resulted in a pooling of resources, information, and public support with the potential to address the world’s most intractable problems.

Contributing to peace in Sri Lanka

International Alert grew out of a particular interest in Sri Lanka, a country plagued with violence since the late 1970s due to political and ethnic tensions. In 1985, following an eruption of mass violence in the country, an international committee was formed to contribute to a peaceful settlement between the Tamil and Sinhalese parties. This approach – still evident in Alert’s work today – sought to identify, from a non-partisan point of view, the specific characteristics of the conflict, as well as the root causes of violence, including: religious dimensions, socio-economic and political developments, attempted military coups, and unfair elections. Alert understood that while international action and support for Sri Lanka would help, it must be linked to progress on the peace process.

A 1988 consultation in Norway brought together people with diverse points of view, including Buddhist monks, Tamil groups, politicians, scholars and development experts. One recommendation was that serious and immediate attention should be paid to the worsening human rights violations in the south of Sri Lanka, where selective and arbitrary killings were taking place at an accelerated rate. The resulting report, Political Killings in Southern Sri Lanka, not only named those who had been killed in the conflict, but attempted to explain, in the words of the principal actors in the events, the background and motivation for the continuing tragedy. Taken together with Alert’s 1986 report on the Tamils, this work was an early demonstration of Alert’s rounded approach and impartiality in the Sri Lankan context.

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Last updated: July 2006