Open Society Foundations

Today we’re launching a series of initiatives to promote social and economic well-being in Latin America by focusing on people’s real needs: access to services, care, a healthy environment, quality jobs, and security. “Buen vivir” (living well), a concept originating in Indigenous and Afro-descendant traditions across the region, inspires this work and emphasizes belonging, community, and harmony with nature. Spanning eight years, this work will support civil society organizations and partnerships with governments to co-create public policies that directly address the needs of historically marginalized populations, with a particular focus on Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, and women. The strategy will focus primarily on Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, while also promoting regional exchange and collaboration with countries like Chile and Guatemala. “For decades, we have supported partners in Latin America striving for progress. Today in the face of global power shifts, and with trade systems being completely upended, we must rise to meet this moment. Collective action has never been so important. New coalitions will emerge. Where there are opportunities, we will act with boldness and conviction to improve living conditions and help strengthen open societies,” said Open Society Chair Alex Soros. “Today’s challenge is to show that democracy can be more than just a political system,” said Pedro Abramovay, vice president of programs at Open Society. “Inspired by the idea of ‘buen vivir,’ we want to restore democracy’s ability to offer both meaning and a shared future,” he added. Learn more about these initiatives and what they mean for Latin America: https://osf.to/4mVYb5b #OpenSociety #LatinAmerica #Democracy #BuenVivir

Economic growth and democratic governance are often presented as competing goals.     But our new report by Senegalese development economist Dr. Ndongo Samba Sylla looks at how they can be mutually reinforcing—and how they must be advanced together to deliver political stability and strengthen socioeconomic rights. It’s time for democracy to deliver so we can uphold rights and dignity for all.    Read the report and its recommendations: https://osf.to/41QedFw

Open Society Fellow Anwuli Ojogwu’s fellowship is focused on how migration, democratic decline and intellectual apathy are reshaping literary expression across Africa. As part of her research, she recently traveled to Kenya and Uganda. In Kenya, she found a “literacy scene bursting with energy” as Gen Z creators are “reimagining African literature on their own terms, through self-publishing, building their own spaces, and using digital platforms to assert cultural and political agency.” In Uganda, despite the restricted political climate and anti-LGBTQI+ policies, “there is a strong connection between the diaspora and homegrown literary communities. Diasporan writers were mentoring and applying voices and keeping the literary pulse alive.” On International Literacy Day she reflects that “literacy freedom is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Literacy and powers individuals to speak to, resist, and to imagine more inclusive and sustainable societies.” “I celebrate the courage of those who write anyway. Those who publish those who connect and those who create in difficult circumstances. These stories are the future of African literature.” - The Open Society Fellowship supports public intellectuals from seven global cities that are home to a dynamic circle of thinkers and cultural producers engaged in high-level critical debate. #OpenSociety #InternationalLiteracyDay #AfricanLiterature #LiteraryExpression

Secure systems make it possible for critical work to continue. As a Senior IT Security Specialist in Johannesburg, your contribution will enable us to continue our support of advocates and communities standing up for what's right.

Women’s leadership can deliver meaningful change. Women are at the heart of many liberation movements, as I emphasized in my recent lecture in Mexico City: https://lnkd.in/eb4R2w9a Women bring unique experiences to policymaking, creating greater political inclusivity, placing stronger protection for human rights, and improving overall economic performance. Women’s leadership is driven from the ground up, from women on the frontlines of change in local communities to the election of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico's first woman president. The same day she took the highest office of the land, I was proud to become the first woman ever to lead the Open Society Foundations. At Open Society, our work centers communities that have long been marginalized and excluded but bear the great consequences for systemic crises. In many of these communities, women and youth are key drivers of change. We’re proud to partner with and support these movements so that all people can thrive in an open society. #OpenSociety #Inequality #Democracy #HumanRights

For decades, we’ve been reimagining economic justice and ensuring economic prosperity is more evenly spread. Ever since our founder George Soros began his philanthropy in 1979 by giving scholarships to Black students in South Africa during apartheid, we’ve been dedicated to advancing rights, equity, and justice. We're proud to continue this work alongside our partners—working toward a shared humanity where everyone can thrive, and continuing our role as the world’s largest private funder of human rights. Learn more about our history: https://osf.to/45ryO5k #OpenSociety #OpenSocietyHistory #GeorgeSoros #EconomicEquity #EconomicPower

The Open Society Justice Initiative is proud to serve as counsel for Physicians for Human Rights and courageous persons in Kenya and South Africa who have today come forward as amicus curiae to tell Judges of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit about the devastating and life-threatening impacts of the Trump Administration’s sudden withdrawal of tens of billions of dollars of US AID foreign assistance. In a brief supporting Plaintiffs-Appellees’ motion for an emergency stay on petition for en banc rehearing of a recent DC Circuit panel decision, amici describe the consequences when lifesaving aid is withheld: patients cut off from lifesaving care, caregivers forced to turn them away, and family members grieving preventable deaths. Their experiences illustrate, in real terms, the life-or-death consequences when Congressionally-appropriated funds are not spent. https://lnkd.in/eNgKYAQv

“Palestinians are being intentionally starved to death,” as I write in this essay in Project Syndicate. “Although signs of the coming horrors were clear within months of the war’s onset, many governments averted their eyes. They rationalized the restrictions on aid by arguing that it was going to Hamas—a claim that Israel now says it has no evidence for—and transferred more tonnage in weapons to Israel than they delivered in aid to Gaza. Now, they are failing in their duty to prevent and stop a genocide. “History will forever record this moment of global shame. It will archive the images of skeletal children alongside those from past episodes where the world did nothing. One can only hope that the world will act now to salvage at least a measure of our humanity, before even more children die.”

The World Press Photo Foundation, an Open Society grantee, has a 70-yearlong perspective on how image-making has evolved and confronted different challenges. Since 1955, the foundation has been setting standards for photojournalism and documentary photography, encouraging visual literacy, and showcasing personal stories to explain the human condition.  We spoke with the executive director, Joumana El Zein Khoury, about its legacy, its evolving role in photojournalism, the impact of AI on the industry, and efforts to promote diversity and inclusivity in visual storytelling. #OpenSociety #Photojournalism #DocumentaryPhotography

Happy 95th birthday to George Soros, the founder of the Open Society Foundations! Starting in Hungary in the mid-1980s, George Soros used his fortune to build a philanthropic network that became the Open Society Foundations—supporting a vast array of new efforts to create more accountable, transparent, and democratic societies. Here are some highlights of his leadership of Open Society: In the 1980s, he funded the free exchange of information and ideas behind the Iron Curtain and fostered open, democratic societies after the fall of the Soviet Union—steps that would lead to our establishment as the Open Society Foundations. In the 1990s, he returned to South Africa to nurture democracy and address inequality after apartheid. He also seeded important new thinking around drug policy reform and end-of-life care in the United States. In the 2000s, he supported efforts to foster international justice for atrocities, strengthen disability rights globally, and tackle the scourges of TB and HIV. In the 2010s, he expanded our work to Latin America, confronted the CIA on torture at black sites, helped refugees who fled war, and celebrated gains in LGBTQI+ rights globally. In the 2020s, he released millions in emergency funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, invest in building Black power in the U.S., and support a free and democratic Ukraine, especially after Russia’s invasion. Throughout his career, he’s been committed to fighting the world’s most intractable problems. Learn more: https://osf.to/4fyDFVN #OpenSociety #GeorgeSoros Photo credits: Lauren Frohne/Open Society Foundations, Beka Vuco/Open Society Foundations, © Jason Kempin/Redux, Open Society Foundations