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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Emma Bonino, a pioneering Italian politician, rights advocate, and former Open Society board member died on September 11, 2026, at the age of 78. She was committed to the humane treatment of all, from those in jail to migrants to women seeking safe abortions and beyond, writes Aryeh Neier.

A Tribute to Emma Bonino, a Trailblazer for Human Rights. Bonino, a former Open Society board member, Italian government minister, European commissioner, and abortion rights activist, died this month at age 78.

“Emma had first become known in Italy in the 1970s for leading the struggle, in a country where the Catholic Church was politically powerful, to legalize medical abortion. As an unmarried recent college graduate, she had become pregnant, and she had found a physician who performed clandestine abortions. She then started assisting other women who needed abortions. Emma also reported herself to the police for committing a crime and spent a few weeks in jail. Her efforts culminated in legalization of the procedure.”

“Although Emma took stands on many issues that were far outside the mainstream in Italy, her commitment to humanity earned her high regard from the general public and across the political spectrum.” —Aryeh Neier, president emeritus of the Open Society Foundations

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In 2022, @js-tan.bsky.social & Clarissa Redwine, tech workers turned union organizers, were working 14-hour days organizing a strike at Elon Musk’s newly purchased, workforce-slashed Twitter, calling every employee they could still reach. In the end, just one of the organizing committee was left.

In 2022, Tan and Redwine, both tech workers turned union organizers, were working 14-hour days trying to organize a strike at Elon Musk's newly purchased, workforce-slashed Twitter. They called every employee they could still reach. In the end, just one member of the organizing committee was left.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Seven months into the U.S. war on Iran, fighting has widened and the consequences have spread far beyond Iran’s borders.

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I gathered with local leaders and peace builders from Kenya, the Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, and Spain to talk about local multilateralism for peace and safety.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Too often, the human rights movement has preferred rights in the negative: no to torture, no to censorship, no to detention without trial. But there must also be an affirmation of something positive—a vision of what could be.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Today at UNGA 81, Open Society hosted conversations with municipal government officials, civil society and philanthropy leaders, policymakers, and more to tackle some of the central questions facing the international system.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

UNGA 81 presents an opportunity to bring forward new ideas and perspectives for a changing world.

Why UNGA 81 is an opportunity to reshape the international system to meet the needs of a changing world

UNGA 81 comes at a time of major change for not just the United Nations, but the wider international system. It has invited the question of what a different model of multilateralism could look like, one that reflects where our world is today.

There is a need for a multilateral system that is more just, equitable, and reflects leadership from middle powers.

At the same time, the future of human rights is being debated at a time of profound changes in the international system.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Democracy is not just about elections or procedure—it needs to create tangible results and make a meaningful difference in people’s everyday lives. Open Society supports initiatives that expand civic and political space at local, national, and regional levels.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

We mourn the passing of Emma Bonino, a former Open Society board member. She was a tireless advocate for human rights. May her fearlessness continue to inspire those fighting for open societies everywhere. osf.to/4xQ5EIV

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

25 years ago on 9/11, America changed forever. Open Society’s Laleh Ispahani remembers it in @contrariannews.org as a horrific tragedy in which thousands died but also reflects on what came next: increased surveillance, torture, trampled free speech, and discrimination against Muslim Americans.

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

What changes in governments around the world when women hold political power? The policies they pursue—on development, on participation, on human rights protections. When women lead, everyone’s outcomes improve.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

In the latest edition of The Ideas Letter, William Shoki of @africasacountry.bsky.social, Brian Kagoro of Open Society, Panashe Chigumadzi, and @nicdawes.bsky.social discuss the dashed hopes of South Africa after apartheid amid stubborn inequality, high unemployment, and rising xenophobia.

theideasletter.org

South Africa Agonistes - The Ideas Letter

Thirty years ago, South Africa was heralded as a harbinger of a just and non-racial order. After decades of a criminal, repellent regime, Nelson Mandela’s ascension to the presidency and…

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The rule of law and human rights are vital to open societies, but often law can feel out of reach. James Goldston, who leads the Open Society Justice Initiative, explains how we help improve people’s lives and rights and change systems for the better.

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Powerful states are flouting international legal norms. Both the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the images from Gaza that we’re seeing today are horrific, with the devastation of the Palestinian people being streamed to us live. I think this is a moment of global shame that will stay with us.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

“The Trump administration is accelerating removal of asylum seekers and others with U.S. orders of protection to third countries—in continued violation of the U.S. government’s legal obligations to protect individuals from return to persecution, torture, and other serious harm.” —Natasha Arnpriester

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Jurisdictions across the U.S. secured $58 billion via a settlement from companies fueling the overdose crisis. Yet many shut out community members from deciding how the money is spent to combat the crisis—including on expanding treatment, housing, and harm reduction, says @kasiams.bsky.social.

commondreams.org

Opioid Settlement Funds Belong to the Public: Communities Want Healing, Not Punishment | Common Dreams

This money was won because communities suffered extraordinary harm and hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives, so funds should build and expand capacity of much-needed health infrastructure ...

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We’re launching a $1.5 million rebuilding fund to support an equitable, locally driven recovery following the earthquake in Colombia’s Pacific region.

$1.5 Million Rebuilding Fund for Earthquake Recovery in Colombia

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The reintegration of veterans and their family members—estimated to total 6 million by the end of the war—could boost Ukraine’s resilience, or introduce instability, depending on how the country chooses to address it.

Ukraine's Veterans Can Drive the Country's Recovery

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Despite evidence showing little if any public health harms, the WHO refused to declassify coca as a narcotic in 2025. This is part of a troubling gap between evidence and policy in these global institutions, writes Open Society’s @kasiams.bsky.social with Diederik Lohman. osf.to/4qD7w4T

tandfonline.com

The limits of evidence in global drug control: Reflections on the WHO coca leaf review

Published in Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice (Vol. 21, No. 1, 2026)

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The task before those fighting for universal human dignity is not the restoration of a vanished order, but the patient work of making a better one. We are the authors of our own stories.

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

It’s time for the world to step up and pursue justice for Afghan girls and women. Five years after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, I joined @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social to discuss the growing push for international justice:

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

On August 10, a powerful 7.5 earthquake struck western Colombia, killing at least 280 people—with thousands more injured or missing. To aid in the recovery and relief efforts, journalists from independent media outlet TuBarco immediately began reporting in one of the affected cities, Cali.

How Local Journalism is Helping Communities After Colombia's Earthquake: Wilson Barco, director of TuBarco News, interviews a volunteer who is sorting family photos recovered at an earthquake search and rescue operation after a devastating earthquake in Cali, Colombia, on August 13, 2026.

TuBarco News staff reporting on the earthquake in Cali.

A search and rescue dog takes a break with its handler in Cali.

TuBarco News journalist Diego Cadena, and Wison Barco, interview a relative of an earthquake survivor in Cali.

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Alex Soros @alexsoros.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Today is the GOAT’s 96th birthday. Love you, dad! 🐐❤️🎂

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

We’ve joined American Friends Service Committee, @hrw.org, and @ccrjustice.org in challenging a U.S. executive order that imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court officials and others working to pursue justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court officials and those who work with them threaten fundamental rights and the rule of law. Those who pursue justice for the world’s gravest crimes should not be punished for doing so.

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Since taking over Afghanistan five years ago, the Taliban has imposed a brutal and misogynistic regime. As I wrote in the @financialtimes.com today, international courts are their only avenue for justice. But at the same time, international justice is under attack.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

As demand for critical minerals continues to grow, Africa faces a defining question: how can the continent turn its mineral wealth into jobs, industrial growth, and long-term development? We spoke with experts who shared five ways Africa can build collective value from critical minerals.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

The Barco Regatão—Tapajós, led by our grantee Instituto Regatão Amazônia, sails the Amazon River stopping in many Indigenous and Quilombola communities. The experience mixes cultural and art activities, trainings, and knowledge exchange to preserve traditional practices, memories, and ways of life.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Meet Nation Station: An initiative born after the 2020 Beirut Port explosion that continues to show up for its communities. The day after the explosion, Josephine and four neighbors gathered at an abandoned gas station and started organizing, turning the gas station into a distribution point.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

A world without international law is one where big corporations can ramp up the costs of lifesaving medical care, where governments are allowed to pollute the environment, and where war criminals go unpunished. We need to protect it.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Google’s AI empire was dealt a huge blow. Our partner Foxglove, a tech accountability nonprofit, led an effort to pressure the UK government. Publishers can now choose how Google uses their content. This is a first in addressing AI overreach and reasserting agency and consent in the AI economy.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

For over two decades, the Open Society Justice Initiative has been using the law to advance justice and human rights globally.

Our history of human rights litigation, advocacy, and legal empowerment

In 2003, the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) was launched with a mandate to use the law to support Open Society’s work around the globe in advancing inclusive democracy and international justice and open society values.

2003: Initiating Clinical Legal Education. For over a decade, the Justice Initiative introduced clinical legal education at universities in more than three dozen countries around the world. For many, it was the first time they had ever been able to offer such legal training.

2005: Advancing the Independence of Media in Romania. The Justice Initiative supported Romania’s reforms to increase the transparency of public procurement in advertising, in a measure that bolstered media independence in the country.

2007: Monitoring the World’s Most Significant Grave Crimes Trials. After the trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor shifted to The Hague, far from West African audiences, OSJI launched a website which became the model for International Justice Monitor, a 14-year project that relayed information on over a dozen International Criminal Court and domestic grave crimes trials.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

For many Americans, the 250th anniversary of the nation’s independence is a complicated moment, writes our Laleh Ispahani in @contrariannews.org.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Our Deprose Muchena explains how Africa can turn its mineral wealth into long-term public value as demand for minerals grows. These minerals are often referred to as “critical”—but critical for who, and for what? The future will be shaped not just by what Africa exports, but by the choices it makes.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

We welcome the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that upholds what has been in the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution since 1868: “[a]ll persons born….in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

Upholding birthright citizenship affirms the Constitution, the rule of law, and that equal protection belongs to everyone.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈! We’re celebrating the organizations that are upholding fundamental human rights and working to expand protections for all people in the Caribbean.

Meet the organizations championing LGBTQIA+ rights, equality, and justice in the Caribbean

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Mexico City’s Utopías are reclaiming public spaces for social transformation based on human dignity, community building, and the exercise of rights.

Mexico City’s Utopias: A Model for Social Transformation

Begun in Mexico City’s most populous municipality of Iztapalapa in 2018, Utopías are reclaimed public spaces created by Mexico City’s government to promote the development of all people through social and health services, education, sports, and cultural and recreational activities.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Punishing people who use illegal drugs doesn’t work—and only worsens health, racial, and economic inequities. Harm reduction does work. Open Society’s Judy Chang breaks down why.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈! We’re celebrating LGBTQI+ wins from across the world that are expanding protections, upholding fundamental human rights, and ensuring justice for everyone. #Pride #PrideMonth #PrideJoy #GoodNews

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

In a lawsuit filed today, the Open Society Justice Initiative is representing Kimberly Prost, one of the International Criminal Court (ICC) judges who are subject to U.S. sanctions issued by the Trump administration.

We’re Suing the Trump Administration Over Its Sanctions of ICC Judges. “Targeting international judges for carrying out their judicial duties is an unprecedented attack on judicial independence and the rule of law. This lawsuit seeks to reaffirm fundamental constitutional protections and the limits of executive power.” - James A. Goldston, Open Society Justice Initiative

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

“If we want to stop future wars, we must punish the states and their political and military leadership for starting them,” says Oleksandra Matviichuk. 36 countries and the EU committed to a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, supported by the Center for Civil Liberties.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Open Society Fellow Camille Ammoun is a writer and policy advisor who works on urban development, climate change, and political economy. He uses the concept of psychogeography as a literary device to understand the current global polycrisis through the lens of Beirut’s little-known eponymous river.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

The Trump administration is deporting thousands of asylum seekers and those in need of protection to third countries in violation of the U.S. government’s protection obligations and international law.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

The future of human rights is being written by a new generation of advocates. Open Society President @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social discusses the communities and movements defending rights worldwide in this @chathamhouse.org event on June 15 at 16:00 BST: osf.to/43VSUCX

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Just Security @justsecurity.org · 11/05/2026

Local elected leaders in #Hungary often exercised the mechanisms and norms of #democracy and #RuleOfLaw, in resistance to Orban’s autocratic rule. Ambassador Nina Hachigian sees lessons for U.S. cities: www.justsecurity.org/138415/democ...

justsecurity.org

What American Mayors Can Learn From Budapest

In democratic backsliding, Hungary's mayors helped maintain people's trust in government, showing they can help reweave torn social fabric.

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New America @newamerica.org · 27/05/2026

“You only get one life.” Nearly 5,500 parents shared what families really need in the 2026 National Parent Survey: more time, better pay, and more support. 🫂 Read the report: go.newamerica.org/2026-national-par…

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Recent events, including the fatal shooting at a mosque in San Diego and stabbings targeting the Jewish community in London, show how the demonization of faith communities can deepen divisions in society and lead to terrible violence.

“The pernicious bargain that insists on trading in the safety of one community for the rejection of another is a false one. The danger does not end with Muslims and Jews. The threats to these communities today will follow others tomorrow. To defend them, and to defend them together, is how an open society defends itself.” Open Society President Binaifer Nowrojee in The Guardian.

Our $30 million initiative to counter antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate will: protect communities from violence; strengthen interfaith and cross-community partnerships; confront antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred as linked dangers; safeguard the space for lawful expression and free debate.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Our recently announced anti-hate initiative focuses on confronting antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate together as we support efforts to protect communities, build bridges, and safeguard lawful expression and free debate. Read more from Open Society President @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social:

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

As I discussed on the @womensagenda.bsky.social podcast, we have to both defend women’s rights and advance them. Having women in leadership positions isn’t a trade-off—it’s win for everyone.

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Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

At @open-society.bsky.social, we just committed $300 million to defend freedoms and create economic opportunities for all in the U.S. We are partnering with people who are looking beyond the hard times of today to imagine an affirmative vision for the next generation.

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Open Society Foundations @open-society.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

We’re doubling down on our work in the United States with a $300 million investment to expand rights, foster economic dignity, and rebuild our democracy.

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