We must enable environment defenders to put forward solutions that can lead us out of the climate crisis.

Read more about the Escazú Agreement: osf.to/4i13X4d

#OpenSociety #HumanRights #EscazúAgreement #EnvironmentalDefenders #ClimateCrisis #COP30

Escazú is the result of years of tireless efforts by civil society and activist movements in the region.

But protections on the ground still lag in many places. Effective implementation requires aligning national laws, resourcing public institutions, and the public participation of defenders.

Let’s set a new global standard that is rooted in principles of justice, equity, and human rights.

Read more about our commitments: www.opensocietyfoundations.org/newsroom/ope...

#COP30 #OpenSociety #ClimateAction #GreenEconomy #GreenTransition

▪️Advancing Green Sovereign Finance, a program supporting Brazil's transition to a green and fair economy with job opportunities
▪️Implementing Brazil’ s Ecological Transformation Plan, rooting it in local communities to create jobs, reduce inequality, and a cleaner, fairer economy

This includes:
▪️Strengthening the Escazú Agreement, a major regional treaty that provides protection of environmental defenders
▪️Accelerating green economic growth and opportunity for all, including funds focused on reducing carbon emissions in food production and nature-based businesses

Learn more in our in-depth look at the history, legacy, and future of this work through profiles of Roma leaders across the continent. osf.to/4o8poCw

Better inclusion of Roma “is not only a moral imperative. It it also essential to Europe’s long-term prosperity,” says Zeljko Jovanović, president of @romaforeurope.bsky.social.

To examine how youth-led political initiatives and uprisings are reshaping democracy, confronting authoritarianism, and forging new civic lexicon across the Global South, Open Society and Yiaga are cohosting the “South-South Social Movements Convergence” in Cape Town, South Africa Oct 30-Nov 2.

As Mr. Soros is awarded this honor, Roma civil society leaders reflect on of his championing Europe's Roma and their fight for equality and dignity:

Over the past four decades, George Soros and his Open Society Foundations have been steadfast allies of Roma, Europe’s largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority. Learn more:

The prize is given in memory of Holocaust survivors and pioneers of the Roma civil rights movement, Oskar and Vinzenz Rose and endowed by the leading German charitable foundation, Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation.

Unfortunately, many of these interventions get wrapped up in stigma and misunderstandings associated with drug use and those who use drugs. Yet, these programs are effective, provide an important entry to broader care, and engage people who don’t typically go to traditional healthcare professionals.

Recently, the Trump administration has targeted harm reduction programs for funding cuts, hampering the delivery of proven, evidence-based interventions that have saved lives. These recent actions reflect a worrying shift away from science that works. This is unwise.

As the world’s largest private funder of human rights, we protect individual freedoms and fairness, while advancing the dignity and well-being of all people.

Learn more: osf.to/history

#OpenSociety #OpenSocietyHistory #GeorgeSoros #FreedomOfSpeech #FreeSpeech #FreedomOfExpression