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.

Multilateralism among states is under enormous strain. But beneath the surface, something else is happening: cooperation is now moving faster between cities than between countries. When a city in Kenya learns from a city in Colombia, and a city in Europe learns from both, we build a network of trust that no single government can create, and that no single government can take away.

This week, @OpenSociety hosted a conversation centered around the importance of local collaboration in building peace and safety—the kind of peace you measure by whether the market opens on a Tuesday morning, whether a mother can feel safe letting her children walk to school, whether a young person sees a police officer as a protector or a threat. This kind of peace is built in neighborhoods, in town halls, and in county offices by people who don’t get to leave when the cameras get switched off. To Governor Timamy, Diana Eggleston, Father Jorge Atilano González Candia, Juan Pablo Fonseca, and Felip Roca, thank you for your pioneering work. Continue to borrow boldly, share generously, and do not let anybody tell you that local is small.

At @NRGInstitute’s 20th anniversary in New York, I spoke about the choices we are all making right now about critical minerals and the energy transition. No community should be left behind. No country should be forced into an unfair bargain. And no child should pay for their development with their future. Open Society is proud to have been there at the beginning, and we remain committed to that vision.

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. At Open Society, we hold a simple conviction: security that is not built on human rights is not security at all. Lasting peace cannot be designed from above and delivered to people. It has to be built with them.

Twenty years ago in the @OpenSociety offices, a small group of people began asking a question that many in power found uncomfortable: If a country’s oil, gas, and minerals belong to its people, why were so many of those people living in poverty right beside it? It was a privilege to join @NRGInstitute in New York this week to honor the organization that’s never stopped asking that question. Laws can be rolled back. Institutions can be weakened. But a person who has learned to ask, “Whose wealth is this?” doesn't unlearn that lesson. We need those people now more than ever.

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

In this special issue of @TheIdeasLetter, five thoughtful pieces reckon with South Africa’s predicament today. As my colleague @TamukaKagoro77 writes, the ANC’s once inspiring liberation narrative is facing exhaustion, alternatives have not emerged, and mass politics have dismayingly organized around the expulsion of migrants and not the emancipation of all. The end of apartheid’s laws did not lead to the end of its structures, or the injustices they perpetuate. And what’s at risk is the vision of a “democratic and open society” that South Africa’s landmark constitution promised.

International justice is all that the women and girls of Afghanistan have left. There is nowhere else for them to turn to. The same is true of the victims in Ukraine, Gaza, Darfur, and Myanmar’s Rakhine State. If international justice is lost, it would be a betrayal of the victims of the most serious crimes, and impunity for the perpetrators. scienzainrete.it/articolo/af…

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. But it's too simplistic to say that rights have disappeared or that human dignity doesn't matter. If you only look at who’s leaving the stage, you won't see who’s stepping onto it. Countries across continents are making their voices heard, advancing human rights, equality, and justice: Spain mobilizing countries, Pacific and Caribbean island nations leading on climate, The Gambia taking Myanmar to the International Court of Justice, Barbados leading on debt relief. The global landscape is shifting. My conversation with @demorgen: demorgen.be/nieuws/het-publi…

States, countries, and cities across the U.S. secured $58 billion via a settlement from companies that fueled the overdose crisis. Yet many jurisdictions are shutting out community members from deciding how this money should be spent to combat the overdose crisis—including on expanding treatment, housing, and harm reduction, writes our @OSFKasia. commondreams.org/opinion/opi…

“This moment calls us not only to defend past gains, but to reimagine rights for generations to come. It demands...intentional action on this continent in the pan-African spirit of Agenda 2063 and the African shared values on human rights, democracy, and governance.” @NowrojeeOSF

Open Society is contributing $1.5 million to support an equitable, locally driven recovery after the devastating earthquake in Colombia's Pacific region, where more than 30,000 families are now homeless. The people most affected by this disaster should be leaders in the recovery, not simply recipients of aid.

📢#ICYMI you can watch our recent panel event 'New advocates and the future of international human rights', with opening remarks from @NowrojeeOSF, President of the @OpenSociety. Watch below⤵️ chathamhouse.org/events/all/…

‘We zijn getuige van de onbeperkte inzet van militaire macht, zonder enige aandacht voor menselijkheid, moraliteit of legaliteit’ @demorgen @NowrojeeOSF share.google/21Nv4GuMXXv537T…

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.

What role can philanthropy play in reducing the dangers of polarization? Join us Sept. 3 for a conversation moderated by @IFITtransitions, featuring: Carnegie pres. Dame Louise Richardson @OpenSociety pres. @NowrojeeOSF @Hewlett_Found pres. Amber D. Miller events.zoom.us/ev/AoO-rM4RIu…