International Legal Alliances
Mission
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Missions
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Partnership
International Legal
Alliances is an international non-affiliated non-profit organization
established in 1996 as a foundation in The Netherlands. ILA responds to a missing link in the human rights work in
transitional societies, putting emphasis on the human side of ‘abstract’
legal-political instruments by providing practical legal solutions on a
field level. ILA initially developed its human rights programmes in the
Balkans, contributing to the post-conflict normalisation and the return
of rights to displaced populations to build up specific legal expertise,
needed in conflict areas.
Mission
International Legal Alliances’ mission is providing practical legal
solutions to victims of conflict (displaced persons) on a grass roots
level combined with the establishment, empowerment and strengthening of
locally owned legal infrastructures. In this way ILA contributes to
conflict prevention and human security in societies with extreme social
tension and/or in post-war transition.
Objectives
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To Provide practical legal solutions to displaced populations on a grass roots level
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To establish, empower and strengthen locally owned legal infrastructures
Activities
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Cross-border practical legal solutions to legal and administrative problems of displaced people.
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Hands-on training of local groups of lawyers to implement the programmes.
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Mobile teams of legal experts (legal, paralegal) to reach the target groups at the field level.
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Combined legal/paralegal assistance, legal reform, and lobbying/advocacy with the national and international relevant institutions.
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Strengthening civil society by training in the international human rights mechanisms, seminars and by enhancing networks and platforms.
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Publication expert/evaluation reports and human rights reports.
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Legal & Human Rights Expert Missions to set up new ILA missions in conflict-affected areas to identify: target groups and their needs, existing legal structures, local capacity and a programme.
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Development of network between the local partner organisations implementing the ILA field missions to promote communication, ensure training and the exchange of experiences, communication, and to provide international embedment. All this will be done bearing in mind that lessons learnt in one area can be applied in another as well.
Track Record
The Programme in the Croatian Danube Basin (started in 1997) was focused
on the implementation of the Erdut Peace Agreement, through human rights
monitoring and legal assistance, supported by psychosocial help. In 1999
ILA started its Cross Border Legal Programme in Serbia, finding durable
solutions together with the displaced populations by resolving their
legal and administrative problems in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Kosovo. In 2002 ILA implemented a Confidence Building Programme in the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Macedonia), working on the
implementation of the recent peace agreement in the same way as the
above confidence building programme in Croatia. ILA has been conducting
assessments on potential implementation of its work in other countries
where violent conflict is at the basis of tensions between groups and
where there are great numbers of displaced persons, such as in Georgia,
Iraq, the Great Lakes, Sudan and Columbia.