Index of Human Rights, Conflict Resolution and Nonprofit Sector Reports

Almost all of the reports featured on our website are indexed here. Many of the reports are linked to their full text, but for information on studies that are not linked, please contact us. 

 

Resources

Selective Enforcement: Charities Targeted for Harsher Sanctions

in
Date: 
June 29, 2009

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated nine U.S. charities as supporters of terrorism, seizing all property, blocking all funds and effectively closing all programs. In contrast, the for-profit corporations Halliburton and Chiquita Brands International have only had to pay fines for very similar alleged violations, and their operations have not been interrupted or shut down. There has been no explanation from OFAC.

Report: Red Cross Task Force Defines "Direct Participation in Hostilities" and Protected Civilian Status

in
Date: 
June 29, 2009

As warfare moves away from the battlefield and armed forces of nation-states and is often conducted in densely populated cities and regions by organized armed groups, including terrorist organizations, the line between combatants and civilians has become increasingly blurred. To address the pertinent distinction, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) released Interpretive Guidance on June 2, 2009 that clarifies the meaning of "direct participation in hostilities."   

U.S. Terror Listing Hurts Banking Services for British NGOs

in
Date: 
June 28, 2009

The influence of the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is widely believed to be behind the December 2008 decision of Barclays bank to discontinue the account of a predominantly Islamic UK charity, Ummah Welfare Trust (UWT).

U.S. Terrorist Watchlists: More Problem than Solution

in
Date: 
June 28, 2009

As U.S. government watchlists have steadily become a central counterterrorism measure,  from the Treasury Department to USAID, their use has attracted scrutiny from government auditors and nonprofits.  Critics call the lists inaccurate, incomplete and inefficient. Fueled by several internal government reports and audits finding numerous problems, complaints range from problems created for people with similar names to persons on the lists to incomplete or error filled lists being used to vet NGOs receiving USAID funds.  Widespread dissatisfaction has reached Congress, where a bill providing redress for being incorrectly placed on the list passed House of Representatives in early 2009. It is time to re-think the role of watchlists in counterterrorism strategy, and not just try to fix a broken system.

Charity Interpal Cleared in UK, Banned in US

in
Date: 
June 28, 2009

On Feb. 27, 2009 the Palestinians Relief and Development Fund (Interpal) was cleared of supporting terrorism in the third inquiry into its activities by the United Kingdom's (UK) Charity Commission.  The charity also overcame hurdles to financing its operations created by two prominent banks that withdrew their financial services in response to the United States (U.S) listing of Interpal as a supporter of terrorism. 

Report: US and EU Must Rethink Counterterrorism Measures that Violate Our Shared Values

in
Date: 
June 15, 2009

On May 27, 2009, Anthony Dworkin of the European Council on Foreign Relations published a report, Beyond the "War on Terror": Towards a New Transatlantic Framework for Counterterrorism, that calls on European leaders to recommit to finding common ground with the U.S. on shaping future counterterrorism policies. 

Report: U.S. Counterterrorism Laws Chill Muslim Charities and Donors

in
Date: 
June 15, 2009

A June 2009 report from the American Civil Liberties Union details how US counterterrorism laws deny Americans their constitutional rights and have jeopardized national security. Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity: Chilling Muslim Charitable Giving in the “War on Terrorism Financing”, calls on the President, federal agencies and Congress to  rethink and redo laws and policies that make donating to charity and the humanitarian work of NGOs into suspect activities and provide little or no redress for the accused to respond to charges of supporting terrorism. 

Report: Blurred Lines between Government and NGOs Lead to Surge in Violence Toward Aid Workers

in
Date: 
June 8, 2009

An April 2009 policy brief from the Overseas Development Institute's (ODI) Humanitarian Policy Group details the recent escalating  of violence toward aid workers. Providing Aid in Insecure Environments: 2009 Updates continues the findings from a 2006 report but with special attention toward the violent developments in Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia (over 60 percent of violence toward aid workers occurred in these three countries) and the blurred lines between NGOs and the government actors that drive the violence

GAO Report on Public Diplomacy Creates Opportunity for Nonprofits to Show Benefits of International Programs

in
Date: 
June 8, 2009

The General Accountability Office released U.S. Public Diplomacy: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight on May 27, 2009. It finds weaknesses in U.S. international communications efforts and notes that the President must issue a new comprehensive communications and public diplomacy strategy by December 2009. Recommendations call for a "clear definition of the problem, desired results, and a delineation of agency roles and responsibilities." Development of a new strategy creates an opportunity for the U.S. nonprofit sector to urge greater recognition of the role of philanthropy and aid and development programs in countering violent extremism, and development of policies that encourage and facilitate that work. 

Amendment to State Secrets Bill Would Expand Ban on Humanitarian Aid and Other Programs

in
Date: 
June 2, 2009
External Link: 
March 20, 2007 OMB Watcher Senate Votes Down Effort to Expand Definition of Material Support

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) proposed an amendment to the State Secrets Protection Act (S. 417) on May 21, 2009 when the bill was scheduled for consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was one of several amendments offered, but the committee took no action. However, Kyl's proposal, rejected by the Senate in 2007, would amend the prohibition on providing "material support" to terrorists to include aid to members of their families or those "otherwise associated" with them, subject to a broadly defined intent standard. The proposal contravenes accepted standards of nondiscrimination in humanitarian aid developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and would criminalize aid based on a subjective and undefined intent standard.