IICI is spearheading the Murad Code Project. It is a global, consultative initiative involving partners from across the globe, including survivors, civil-society organisations, governments, inter-governmental and other international organisations, and funders. The project’s goal is to help ensure that the gathering and use of information about systematic and conflict-related sexual violence is survivor-centric, safe, ethical and effective. The project idea originated with IICI in 2017.
At the heart of the project is the Murad Code. Its full title is the Global Code of Conduct for Gathering and Using Information about Systematic and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. Released in April 2022, it is available in more than 15 languages. The Code is named after Nadia Murad, a leading advocate for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and other crimes, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The Murad Code Project website at muradcode.com contains more information on the Project and its various components, including the Murad Code itself; associated tools and other resources; frequently asked questions; recordings of events; and the story of how the Code was developed through global consultations.
Building on the Project's 2017-2015 foundations, and working with partners around the globe, the focus from 2026 onwards remains to
- support and improve implementation of the minimum standards distilled in the Code by documenters, investigators, funders, humanitarians, journalists, managers, policy-makers and others;
- support the use of the Code by survivors to demand respect for their human rights during documentation and other information-gathering processes; and
- improve collaboration and cooperation between and within sectors (justice, humanitarian, media, etc.).
The government of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada, has provided funding and other partnership support in 2023-2026. The founding partners of the Project are IICI, Nadia’s Initiative and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative of the UK government (PSVI). PSVI intermittently funded the project from the middle of 2019 till early 2023.