“Philanthropy must adopt a more disruptive role, moving out from under the tumbling pillars and walls of the old order and helping lay the foundations of a new, better one,” writes Open Society President Mark Malloch-Brown.
2023 was a difficult year for democracy, human rights, and open societies. In 2024, people from the United States to India to Indonesia will participate in elections that could change the course of world for the decades to come. While it is true that democracy is at stake in many of these elections, our president Mark Malloch-Brown argues that defending democracy is not the primary question on the minds of voters as they cast their ballots. Instead, voters who are fed up with the status quo will be searching for alternatives that purport to offer solutions to the multitude of crises that people are facing every day—from climate change to the cost of living. This year, our mission to support inclusive democracies around the world remains constant, even as the methods by which we pursue it are changing to meet the moment. Read more from Mark Malloch-Brown on the year ahead for open society and the world:
New York State’s 2021 Marijuana Regulation & Tax Act sets forth a regulatory approach to medical and adult-use cannabis and prioritized participation by communities most impacted by prohibition. How’s it going in practice? Watch this panel discussion:
Too long ignored, Ukrainian artists are receiving wartime recognition as powerful resistance fighters—“warriors of light” who deserve a seat at the table in planning their nation’s future.
“Democracy isn’t about having the perfect constitution or being able to vote every few years. It’s about making your life better.” Our Natalie Samarasinghe on supporting movements that strengthen democracy:
The moral panic around Critical Race Theory is profoundly impacting the U.S. education system. Unless we understand the true history of how the U.S. was built, says scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, we cannot hope to create a more democratic and just country.
Less than twenty years ago, Colombia had a total ban on abortion without exceptions. Today, the country has some of the most progressive abortion laws in the world. This is all thanks to the efforts of feminist leaders like Ana Cristina González Vélez, whose Causa Justa Movement built the model for how to win reproductive rights even in a post-conflict, majority Catholic country. And, as Ana Cristina says, “With commitment and resolve, the green wave can turn the tide for millions more across the globe.” Learn more about how Ana Cristina and a coalition of Colombians across the country gained reproductive rights for all at the link. #OpenSociety #CausaJusta #ReproductiveRights #IWD2023 #InternationalWomensDay #FeministLeadership
Building social inclusion and ensuring democracies that deliver for all is both the past and the future of the Asia Pacific region, says Open Society’s Premesh Chandran.
