INTRODUCTION A Global Alliance for Open Society The goal of the Soros foundations network throughout the world is to transform closed societies into open ones and to protect and expand the values of existing open societies. In pursuit of this mission, the Open Society Institute (OSI) and the foundations established and supported by George Soros seek to strengthen open society principles and practices against authoritarian regimes and the negative consequences of globalization. The Soros network supports efforts in civil society, education, media, public health, and human and women’s rights, as well as social, legal, and economic reform. 6 SOROS FOUNDATIONS NETWORK | 2001 REPORT Our foundations and programs operate in more than ࡯ national government aid agencies, including the 50 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the former United States Agency for International Soviet Union, Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Development (USAID), Britain’s Department for the United States. International Development (DFID), the Swedish The Soros foundations network supports the concept International Development Cooperation Agency of open society, which, at its most fundamental level, is (SIDA), the Canadian International Development based on the recognition that people act on imperfect Agency (CIDA), the Dutch MATRA program, the knowledge and that no one is in possession of the ultimate Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation truth. In practice, an open society is characterized by the (SDC), the German Foreign Ministry, and a num- rule of law; respect for human rights, minorities, and ber of Austrian government agencies, including minority opinions; democratically elected governments; a the ministries of education and foreign affairs, market economy in which business and government are that operate bilaterally; separate; and a thriving civil society. ࡯ American private foundations such as Ford, During most of the 1990s, the Soros foundations MacArthur, Bill and Melinda Gates, Casey, C.S. network developed in the former Soviet empire, helping Mott, and Atlantic, the Irene Diamond Fund, countries in transition from authoritarian rule build open, Carnegie Corporation, American Austrian democratic societies. Over the past several years, we have Foundation, and the German Marshall Fund; expanded our geographical horizons to other parts of the ࡯ European private foundations such as the King world. Together with partners that share our principles Baudouin Foundation, the Rausing Trust, the and goals, the network is laying the foundation for a truly Freudenberg Stiftung, the European Cultural global alliance for open society. Foundation, and the German political party– affiliated foundations; ABOUT OUR DONOR PARTNERSHIPS ࡯ European and American institutions that administer As the network evolves and expands its global agenda, assistance funds that they obtain from their govern- partnerships with other donors are becoming ever more ments such as the Swedish Helsinki Committee, significant in making possible the work described in our Press Now (Dutch), NOVIB (Dutch) and the annual reports. In some instances, these partnerships Eurasia Foundation (American), and the involve explicit agreements with other donors to share International Nazi Persecutee Relief Fund costs. At other times, they take place informally when (American, French, British); another donor determines to support a project we ࡯ and national governments in several countries that initiated or, conversely, when we build upon another cofund programs sponsored by our foundations in donor’s initiative. In a relatively small number of cases, those countries, especially in education. other donors contribute directly to one of the Soros Though it is not possible here to enumerate all our foundations in support of a particular project. funding partners and all the projects on which collabora- Our donor partners include: tions have taken place, a few examples may be noted. ࡯ intergovernmental bodies such as the World Bank, the World Bank loans support many education programs World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, the launched by the foundations network. For several years, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe OSI’s Network Media Program has collaborated with (OSCE), the International Finance Corporation, the USAID, the European Commission, the Swedish Helsinki United Nations Development Program, the Council Committee, Press Now, MedienHilfe (Switzerland), of Europe, and the European Commission; Norwegian People’s Aid, Swiss, British, and Danish gov- 8 SOROS FOUNDATIONS NETWORK | 2001 REPORT INTRODUCTION 9 ernment funders, the National Endowment for Democracy ABOUT OUR NGO PARTNERSHIPS and IREX of the United States in supporting the develop- Another form of partnership is also of enormous ment of independent media in the Balkans importance to the Soros foundations: the relationships and other areas. In the case of the Swedish Helsinki we have developed with a number of grantees that we Committee, our collaboration in the Balkans has extended regard as our allies in pursuing crucial parts of the open to other civil society organizations. society agenda. The King Baudouin Foundation of Belgium has These partners include: played an important part in making possible a number of ࡯ International Crisis Group for its research and joint programs in Europe improving ethnic relations and advocacy in addressing armed conflicts and other promoting services for street children. DFID is a major crises in international relations; supporter of harm reduction in Russia and USAID is com- ࡯ Human Rights Watch for its leadership in protect- parably significant in financing a range of supportive serv- ing civil and political rights worldwide; ices to prevent the spread of HIV among drug users in ࡯ European Roma Rights Center for its defense of the Central Asia. Ford and MacArthur joined with OSI in sup- rights of a minority that is severely persecuted in porting the establishment of a Russian language training many countries; program in human rights advocacy operated by the Polish ࡯ Media Development Loan Fund and the Southern Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. Africa Media Development Fund for their role in The Irene Diamond Fund, together with the Open assisting independent media to develop as self-sus- Society Institute, launched a funders’ collaborative on gun taining businesses; control in the United States that has attracted a number of ࡯ Vera Institute of Justice for its innovative efforts to other donors. The U.S. Department of State, the British pursue criminal justice reform programs in such Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Deutscher countries as Russia, South Africa, and the United Akademischer Austauschdienst (Germany) supported States; scholarship programs administered by OSI. ࡯ Global Witness for its investigations of the connec- The Carnegie Corporation and the Gates Foundation tions between resource exploitation, corruption, the joined with OSI in a five-year program to reform and arms trade, and severe abuses of human rights; restructure New York City public high schools. In addition, ࡯ Center for Public Integrity for promoting trans- together with Ford, C.S. Mott, the Rockefeller Brothers parency in government and for its exposures of cor- Fund, and the German Marshall Fund, OSI created the ruption; Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe to ࡯ local chapters of Transparency International for promote the development of civil society in the region; and their work with Soros foundations on anticorrup- with USAID to create the Baltic-American Partnership tion measures; Fund to support the development of civil society in the ࡯ Medecins Sans Frontieres, the AIDS Foundation three Baltic countries. East/West, Doctors of the World, and Partners in The Open Society Institute and all the Soros founda- Health for their efforts in addressing crucial public tions in different parts of the world are deeply grateful to health emergencies that are often connected to all our funding partners. We regret greatly that it is not abuses of human rights; possible here to properly acknowledge all of them. ࡯ Brennan Center for its intellectual leadership in Nevertheless, we extend our thanks to them for their role devising legal approaches in addressing issues of in building open societies and for the trust in the Soros civil liberties and democracy in the United States; foundations and in our grantees reflected by their support. ࡯ Mental Disability Rights International, the Hamlet Trust, and the Mental Disability Advocacy Center particular countries or regions to initiate and support for their protection of the rights of the mentally open society activities. The priorities and specific disabled; activities of each Soros foundation are determined by a ࡯ Penal Reform International for its worldwide efforts local board of directors and staff in consultation with to reduce incarceration and protect the rights of George Soros and OSI boards and advisors. prison inmates; The Soros foundations consist of national ࡯ Sentencing Project, which has been at the forefront foundations in 29 countries, foundations in Kosovo and of efforts in the United States to reduce excessive Montenegro, and two regional foundations, the Open imprisonment; Society Initiative for Southern Africa and the Open ࡯ International Women’s Health Coalition for its work Society Initiative for West Africa. The two regional protecting and expanding reproductive health edu- foundations, which are governed by