Over the four years since the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017, her family and friends have carried out a courageous campaign for justice. Their tenacity has resulted in bringing those accused in her murder to trial and created a wider anti-corruption movement in Maltese politics and society. Despite Caruana Galizia’s murder shining an international spotlight on the island, independent journalists have continued to face ...

The Justice for Journalists (JFJ) Foundation and the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) are delighted to announce the first UK anti-SLAPP conference to be held on Monday 22nd November and Tuesday 23rd November 2021. Journalists around the world are facing a significant, yet often hidden, challenge to their role as public watchdogs. The use of vexatious legal threats, often referred to as Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPP), have proliferated globally in recent years. They are ...

This virtual event will discuss the findings of an upcoming Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) publication entitled: Global Britain for an open world? Examining the importance of open societies to the UK’s ‘force for good’ ambitions. The event and publication seek to examine the UK’s approach to supporting open societies and show its importance in a changing world where authoritarian powers are gaining influence.   Following ...

This Foreign Policy Centre and Justice For Journalists Foundation (JFJ) event will examine the way in which journalists and other media workers in the post-Soviet region have been targeted by the authorities and others such as organised crime and nationalist groups. It will build on the findings of a recent JFJ report that showed 4,611 attacks on media workers were registered in 12 countries in the post-Soviet region (except the Baltic States) ...

This virtual event will discuss the findings of an upcoming Foreign Policy Centre publication entitled Retreating Rights: Examining the pressure on human rights in Kazakhstan. The event and publication seeks to comprehensively examine the present human rights situation in Kazakhstan as the country continues to navigate the post-pandemic environment and power transition between former President Nazarbayev and President Tokayev. It will look at the emerging pressures on a political settlement that ...

This seminar, organised by the FPC and British Council will present and examine the findings of the British Council’s latest soft power perceptions research with Ipsos MORI that provides evidence from 36 countries around the world around what young people think about the UK and other leading nations. It will look to what extent the UK remains a ‘soft power superpower’ (to quote the recent Integrated Review of Security, Defence, ...

Don’t SLAPP the messenger: Why abusive legal threats and actions against journalists must be stopped Journalists are public watchdogs: by bringing information that is in the public interest to light, they help to hold power to account. But what if powerful or wealthy people wanted to keep their wrongdoings a secret? Abusive legal threats and actions, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation – or SLAPPs, are increasingly being used ...

This seminar, organised by the FPC and the SEPAD (Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation) project at the Richardson Institute for Peace at Lancaster University, aims to look at the evolving picture across the region, looking at the key challenges on the ground, the continuing geo-strategic tensions and the impact of the Biden Administration’s policy agenda. The diplomatic dynamics are becoming increasingly complex with traditional Western allies – such as Saudi Arabia, ...

This Foreign Policy Centre, CABAR and IWPR Central Asia are hosting an online discussion that will discuss the topic of destruction of historical heritage and chaotic infill development in Central Asia. It will look at how city planning and urban development have evolved since the Soviet period, examining the similarities and differences around the region. It will look at how those in power have sought to shape the urban environment ...

In summer 2022, Birmingham will be hosting the Commonwealth Games, the UK’s first ‘sport mega event’ in this post-Brexit landscape. The 2012 Olympics presented a clear positive vision of the UK as a young, dynamic and diverse country, as well as showcasing the UK’s longer term vision of its future with sustainability and legacy being a core part of the message. The 2022 Commonwealth Games present a similar opportunity to ...