Our Work
Rights, Technology, and Justice Without Borders.
IRADA has SPECIFIC Core Values
Sustainability – Protecting ecological freedoms for future generations.
Partnership – Building alliances and networks across policy, media, and civic ecosystems.
Empowerment – Equipping citizens to claim their rights and shape their futures.
Credibility – Maintaining rigor, integrity, and thought leadership in reform discourse.
Innovation – Harnessing technology to expand freedoms and social equity.
Freedom – Upholding expression, information, and ecological rights as the basis of democracy.
Inclusivity – Ensuring participation of all voices, especially marginalized and youth communities.
Collaboration – Amplifying collective voice and shared ownership of reform.
Strategic Focus
Our Work
Operated by a Board of Directors, consisting of its three founders, and overseen by its patron and a Board of Advisors, IRADA has undertaken multiple advocacy, research, and training initiatives with the support of several local and international development partners. These include:
IRADA has worked with several national and international donor and support organizations and institutions. These include, but are not limited to, the following: UNESCO, International Media Support (IMS), DANIDA, Solidarity Centre (SC) / ILAW, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) / The Asia Foundation (TAF), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Freedom Network (FN), and Centre for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI).
STRATEGIC FOCUS
IRADA’s work spans the intersections of law, media information, and technology to strengthen democratic governance and social equity.
Law
Legal reform, access to justice, and rights education.
Information
Freedom of expression, right to information, and media pluralism.
Technology
Digital rights, inclusion, and data justice.
Our Work
Operated by a Board of Directors, consisting of its three founders, and overseen by its patron and a Board of Advisors, IRADA has undertaken multiple advocacy, research, and training initiatives with the support of several local and international development partners. These include:
- Advocacy on media and Internet regulations and policies, digital rights and
online freedoms, media and information literacy (MIL), journalists’ safety legislation, right to information, etc.; - Baseline surveys, monitoring and evaluation, impact assessment,
policy formulation, policy review, and analysis on media/law-related issues; - Training related to the right to information, media laws and regulations,
journalists’ safety and security, legal and parliamentary reporting, conflict, etc.
IRADA has worked with several national and international donor and support organizations and institutions. These include, but are not limited to, the following: UNESCO, International Media Support (IMS), DANIDA, Solidarity Centre (SC) / ILAW, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) / The Asia Foundation (TAF), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Freedom Network (FN), and Centre for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI).
Operated by a Board of Directors, consisting of its three founders, and overseen by its patron and a Board of Advisors, IRADA has undertaken multiple advocacy, research, and training initiatives with the support of several local and international development partners. These include:
- Advocacy on media and Internet regulations and policies, digital rights and
online freedoms, media and information literacy (MIL), journalists’ safety legislation, right to information, etc.; - Baseline surveys, monitoring and evaluation, impact assessment,
policy formulation, policy review, and analysis on media/law-related issues; - Training related to the right to information, media laws and regulations,
journalists’ safety and security, legal and parliamentary reporting, conflict, etc.
IRADA has worked with several national and international donor and support organizations and institutions. These include, but are not limited to, the following: UNESCO, International Media Support (IMS), DANIDA, Solidarity Centre (SC) / ILAW, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) / The Asia Foundation (TAF), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Freedom Network (FN), and Centre for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI).
Project and Initiatives
UNESCO Pakistan
This project aimed at promoting media pluralism, diversity, and gender responsive journalism among the grass root level journalists representing different regions of Pakistan in collaboration with PFUJ and the National Press Club Islamabad.Through a customized training module based upon UNESCO’s existing publications covering topics like mobile/digital journalism, investigative skills, countering disinformation, reporting through digital platforms, privacy and safety rights, global case studies, and community guidelines of tech companies, this initiative helped promote media pluralism, diversity, and gender-responsive journalism in Pakistan.
Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) and The Asia Foundation (TAF)
This research study aimed to review news media coverage of the 2022 floods in Sindh between July and November 2022. The study analyzed both the quantity and quality of news reporting, articles, features, and audio/visual materials produced by print, electronic, and online media during the first five months of the flood.It documented gaps and weaknesses in the reported content and identified capacity-building measures to overcome these gaps, enabling journalists and news outlets to cover similar disasters effectively in the future.
UNESCO Pakistan
The project aimed at empowering Judicial Actors on Fundamental Freedoms online by enhancing understanding of duty bearers from the judiciary on internet governance, national laws, and proposing amendments for transparency in digital content regulation.IRADA conducted consultations with stakeholders, sensitization sessions with 45 judiciary duty bearers, and three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with parliamentarians and senior members of judiciary. The project also produced a policy brief highlighting the role of the judiciary in ensuring Freedom of Expression and RTI online.
International Media Support (IMS)
The project focused on improving media coverage of human rights and FoRB (freedom of religion or belief) issues, building capacities of women journalists, and increasing quality public interest journalism content highlighting minority women issues.IRADA produced three annual reports on “State of Digital Media / Journalism” (2020-2023), two reports on “Diversity and Pluralism in Media in Pakistan,” and reviewed the implementation of UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalism (2013-22).
Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI)
This assessment reviewed the quality of implementation of the RTI Act, identified administrative loopholes, lack of resources, and challenges in digitizing internal reporting systems, and recommended corrective actions.
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Examined industrial coverage and deficiencies for media workers, assessing implementation of Wage Board Awards and legal frameworks, and recommended improvements for labor rights, policy development, and advocacy.
Freedom Network (FN)
Trainings focused on building the capacities of journalists with religious minority backgrounds to report on human rights and FoRB issues using in-depth, investigative journalism approaches.
UNESCO / Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF)
Reinforced operationalization of the national protection mechanism (Legal Aid Cell), filed strategic cases in high courts and the Supreme Court to establish statutory protection for journalists.
International Media Support (IMS)
Consultations led to a model Journalists Safety Bill submitted to lawmakers after two phases of stakeholder engagement.
DANIDA / IMS
Focused on media reforms through research, advocacy, dialogue, and development of a Model Broadcast Law and comprehensive agenda for media-related law reform in Pakistan.
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) / Solidarity Centre (SC)
Built capacity of journalist unions, provided legal assistance, and produced reports on labor rights and employment contracts in the media sector.
UNESCO and Open Society Foundation
Conducted baseline study mapping UN-developed Journalists Safety Indicators to support effective implementation of UN Plan of Action on Impunity.
UNESCO through IPDC
Contributed to creating an enabling RTI regime, building journalist capacity to use RTI law in investigative reporting, and addressing impunity of killings of journalists.