Support Our Initiatives
In addition to accepting donations to support our general work and legacy partners, EWMI is piloting a number of projects that you can support directly through dedicated donation pages. Our current pilot projects are listed below.
Around the world, democracy is under threat, buffeted by political and economic forces that inflame public opinion, challenge democratic institutions, and pressure democracy supporters and human rights defenders. When these conflicts come to a head, the actors in these dramas — government officials, opposition political leaders, human rights groups, student protesters, regional and international powers, and more — must make decisions in real time that may have significant implications for their country’s future, as well as their own individual safety and security and that of their families.
Drawing on its three decades of experience navigating such conflicts in hotspots around the world, and leveraging its experience developing public education programs, EWMI is piloting a U.S. high school-based simulation program that will allow students to play the roles of key actors in a democracy crisis as it unfolds. The scenarios for the simulations will be based on real actors in real countries.
The objectives of the program are threefold: (1) Build understanding among students about the ways in which democracy can come under threat; (2) Allow students to develop their problem solving, strategic communication, and negotiating skills; and (3) deepen the understanding of students of a particular country and region they may be unfamiliar with.
Before the simulation, each school team of 4-5 students will be provided background material about their assigned role/actor, the types of tools they use, and actions they have been known to take, and teams will be encouraged to carry out their own independent research in this regard in advance.
During the simulation each team will be based in a separate room in the simulation venue, with the ability to communicate with the other teams as they see fit. An independent moderator will observe each of the teams as they deliberate. The moderators will begin the simulation by informing each team of an unfolding event. The action will then unfold based on the decisions and actions of the teams, with the moderator resolving actions to keep advancing the flow of events and occasionally interjecting unexpected developments. The simulation will be structured so as to be completed in one day. At the conclusion of the simulation, the moderators will gather all the teams together to reflect upon the simulation, allowing participants to question each other about their thinking in reaching decisions. The moderators will issue awards to several of the best performing students.
What your donation will support
EWMI is raising funds to support a March 2027 pilot run of the simulation in selected high schools in Nebraska in partnership with the Nebraska Bar Foundation. Your donation will allow the EWMI team to develop the scenario and simulation materials, make post-pilot adjustments to the approach in collaboration with the moderators and the Nebraska State Bar Foundation, and support a wider roll-out in additional states.
If you prefer to send your donation by mail, checks should be made out to the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (indicate “Frontlines” in the memo line) and mailed to: East-West Management Institute, 909 Third Avenue, Unit 1167, New York, NY 10022.
EWMI is supporting the Wrongful Conviction International Law Task Force (WCILTF), a global coalition of law professors, attorneys and activists working together to fill the “Innocence Gap” in international law. Wrongful convictions occur in all legal systems around the world because of human limitations in investigation and evidence collection, and the WCITLF works to ensure that those wrongfully convicted have legal recourse to present new evidence of innocence and obtain exoneration.
EWMI is supporting two important initiatives of the task force:
Engagement with UN human rights mechanisms: Over the past few years, the WCILTF has started submitting country reports to the UN Human Rights Committee in conjunction with the Committee’s review of countries’ adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). WCITLF submissions focus on how the laws and practices of the country under review contribute to wrongful convictions and whether they allow for exonerations. EWMI has assumed the coordinating role for the WCITLF’s submissions to the Committee, with assistance from US law students and legal experts around the world. EWMI will also seek to expand the WCITLF’s engagement to include the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process conducted by the Human Rights Council. Under the UPR, EWMI will seek to target countries with the death penalty, as the lack of post-conviction innocence mechanisms in such countries is particularly problematic. To this end, EWMI will work with the WCILTF to develop UPR factsheets and conduct advocacy in Geneva with representatives of HRC member states. EWMI will also seek to host side events at UN events to raise awareness about wrongful convictions.
Wrongful Convictions Index: EWMI is coordinating the effort by the WCILTF to create an international index that will monitor and score countries in terms of their ability to prevent and address wrongful convictions. For example, countries would be rated and ranked on the degree to which they allow new evidence of innocence to be presented to a court post-conviction, ensure access to DNA testing, maintain evidence preservation procedures, and provide compensation for exonerees. Preparatory work to develop the index has recently begun. The Wrongful Conviction Index will be used as an advocacy tool to promote reforms in countries with inadequate legislative frameworks.
What your donation will support
Your donation will support the EWMI team’s work with the Task Force, including the convening of side events around UN ICCPR and UPR meetings and research, development, and maintenance of the Wrongful Convictions Index.
If you prefer to send your donation by mail, checks should be made out to the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (indicate “Wrongful Convictions” in the memo line) and mailed to: East-West Management Institute, 909 Third Avenue, Unit 1167, New York, NY 10022.