Our Mission

In an era of rising authoritarianism, the Franklin Center for International Rule of Law supports those fighting for justice and human rights in places where the rule of law is under attack. To use a military term, the FCIRL serves as a ‘force multiplier’ for institutions and individuals fighting back against such malign trends. We are currently operating in Ukraine and in the Western Balkans. The FCIRL is also rostered by the Council of Europe to support international humanitarian law efforts by CoE member states.

Beyond these current initiatives, the FCIRL's principals have decades of experience working across the globe from Baghdad to the Congo. Moving forward, and leveraging this background, the FCIRL seeks to expand its efforts to supporting those responding to Russian-backed authoritarian forces in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, as well as to support all those in the world, including the Global South, who are facing extremist threats to the international legal order. We do this by providing technical assistance, mentoring, and training to those supporting the rule of law, by supporting civil society, and by providing equipment donations and other concrete forms of support.