Since our founding in 1983, IRI has implemented 1,400-plus programs in more than 100 countries, developing and implementing successful democracy, governance, human and civil rights, and conflict resolution programs that engage all sectors of society. IRI is active in more than 80 countries, maintains 32 field offices across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and has nearly 400 employees. Notably, IRI has provided timely support to key stakeholders involved in the democratic openings of their countries, particularly in Serbia, Burma, Mongolia, and most recently Malaysia. In Serbia, IRI provided capacity building trainings for members of the Otpor movement of the 1990s. In Burma, IRI trained National League for Democracy Activists in jungle training camps on the Thai-Burma border and translated the works of Gene Sharp into Burmese. In Mongolia, IRI provided election and campaign techniques for the Mongolia Democratic Union, including the creation of a “Contract with the Mongolian Voter” during its 1996 elections. Finally, in Malaysia, IRI has provided long-term support to Malaysia’s opposition, which recently democratically ousted the government that had ruled for 61 consecutive years. 

IRI in Korea

IRI has operated in Korea since 2005. While IRI possessed an in-country presence, it provided capacity building trainings and initial funding for several now-prominent North Korean human rights and democracy organizations, including DailyNK, North Korean Intellectuals Solidarity Center, People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE) and NK Watch. In partnership with Sungshin University in 2009, IRI developed and implemented a Women Leader’s training program for college-age defector women. Since 2013, IRI has continued to provide periodic support for North Korean human rights programming, including inviting young CSO leaders to attend its global youth program, Generation Democracy, and conducting an Assessment of the North Korean human rights movement. Most recently, IRI has translated materials on Mongolia’s peaceful democratic revolution into Korean and hosted a delegation of North Korean defector researchers to study Mongolia’s transition to liberal democracy and a free market economy.