WHAT
WE DO
OUR
MISSION
The Conflict Awareness Project works to deter conflict, organized crime, and environmental harm with the goal of fostering a just and secure world for all. In partnership with local and international organizations, we detect and document injustices while developing strategies to close legal and policy gaps. We amplify underreported stories to illuminate and guide solutions forward.
HISTORY
The Conflict Awareness Project (CAP) was launched in 2010 by Kathi Lynn Austin, an internationally recognized arms trafficking expert with over thirty-five years of groundbreaking field research experience. Austin’s extensive work in conflict zones and her deep understanding of the global arms trade exposed the alarming gap in legal accountability for international arms smugglers and war profiteers. Driven by frustration over the lack of accountability and prosecutions against these individuals and networks, she founded CAP to address this critical problem. The organization's mission is to investigate, document, and bring to justice those who fuel armed conflict, injustice, and natural resource exploitation around the globe.
Austin recognized the urgent need for an organization that could expose major criminal activities and champion precedent-setting criminal and civil justice cases in collaboration with local actors and legal entities worldwide. CAP’s unique “Follow the Guns” (FTG) methodology has been instrumental in building a parallel NGO process that assists prosecutors, law enforcement, and international justice bodies with on-the-ground investigative research, case support, expert consultation, and training.
Under Austin’s leadership as Executive Director, CAP has made significant strides in its mission to combat arms trafficking and related crimes. A notable achievement includes CAP's investigation into arms trafficking networks in the Horn and Great Lakes Region of Africa, which shed light on the illegal flow of weapons into conflict zones. CAP’s efforts have also contributed to exposing the activities of notorious arms dealers like Viktor Bout, amplifying global awareness of arms trafficking and war profiteering. These initiatives have had a tangible impact on international policy and legal measures aimed at curbing these crimes.
With the support of a highly qualified international team of staff, advisors, and Board Members, Austin continues to advance the institutional and programmatic development of the organization. CAP’s work remains vital in the global effort to promote justice, human rights, and international peace and security, ensuring that those who profit from war, conflict, and natural resource exploitation are held accountable.
OUR
PARTNERS
