Reclaiming Democracy
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RECLAIMING DEMOCRACY GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY FORUM CONFERENCE SAN FRANCISCO BAY | APRIL 1–3 RECLAIMING DEMOCRACY GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY FORUM CONFERENCE APRIL 1–3, 2 19 SAN FRANCISCO BAY 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference This book includes transcripts from the plenary sessions and keynote conversations of the 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference. The statements made and views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of GPF, its participants, World Affairs or any of its funders. Minor adjustments have been to remarks for clarity. In general, we have sought to preserve the tone of these panels to give the reader a sense of the Conference. The Conference would not have been possible without the support of our partners and members listed below, as well as the dedication of the wonderful team at World Affairs. Special thanks go to the GPF team— Meghan Kennedy, Angelina Donhoff, Suzy Antounian, Claire McMahon, Carla Thorson, Julia Levin, Taytum Sanderbeck, Jarrod Sport, Laura Beatty, Sylvia Hacaj, Isaac Mora, and Lucia Johnson Seller—for their work and dedication to the GPF, its community and its mission. STRATEGIC PARTNERS Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Anonymous Newman’s Own Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation The David & Lucile Packard Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Foundation Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Sall Family Foundation World Bank Group SUPPORTING MEMBERS African Development Fund MEMBERS The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley William Draper III Charitable Trust Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Felipe Medina Humanity United Inter-American Development Bank International Finance Corporation MacArthur Foundation The MasterCard Foundation The Global Philanthropy Forum is a project of World Affairs. This collection of transcripts is a publication of World Affairs. Copyright ©2020 World Affairs. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the express permission of the authors is prohibited. 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference CONTENTS FOREWORD ........................................ X ADVISORY COUNCIL ................................ 7 STEERING GROUP................................... 9 2019 CONFERENCE AGENDA ....................... 10 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES ............................ 26 DEMOCRACY IN PERIL, PHILANTHROPY’S RESPONSE....................... 72 Larry Diamond, Kati Marton, Brad Smith, Jane Wales PLURALISM: THE SINE QUA NON OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY ...................................... 86 Meryl Chertoff, Larry Kramer, Peter Laugharn NEW LOCALISM, NEW POWER..................... 106 Jeremy Heimans, Asha Curran, Kathleen Janus DATA AND DEMOCRACY—WHO SAYS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ARE DEMOCRATIZING?............ 120 Stephen King, Sandor Léderer, Sean Mcdonald, Lucy Bernholz 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference IDENTITY & DEMOCRACY: BEYOND HATE........... 138 Mehrdad Baghai, Christian Picciolini, John Wood, Jr., Mark Gerzon THE NEW LOCALISM—WEAVE THE SOCIAL FABRIC . 156 David Brooks, Dan Cardinali, Ann Stern, Lauren Smith FUNDING ACROSS DIFFERENCE ................... 174 Charles Koch, Brian Hooks, Jane Wales WHEN POLICY FAILS: TAKING ON IMMIGRATION AT THE BORDER......... 188 Lee Gelernt, Carolyn Miles, Maria Moreno, Jonathan Ryan, Neal Keny Guyer SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: THE INAUGURAL JULIETTE GIMON COURAGE AWARD ............... 206 Maya Ajmera, Marianne Gimon d’Ansembourg, John Hecklinge, Gamze Karadag, Lesli Dalila Ovando Muñoz DATA & DEMOCRACY - INDEPENDENT MEDIA AND THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRACY............... 214 Premesh Chandran, Karen Edwards, Govindraj Ethiraj, Mary Fitzgerald, Giannina Segnini PHILANTHROPY & CIVIL SOCIETY: KNOWLEDGE MARKETPLACE...................... 232 Phil Buchanan, Cecilia Conrad, Chuck Harris, Charlotte Pera DATA & DEMOCRACY: THE NORM OF TRANSPARENCY ................... 250 Patrick Alley, Esther Dyson, John Githongo, Giannina Segnini, Chris Taggart, Markos Kounalakis CITIZEN AGENCY: TAKING A STAND ................ 266 Peter Eigen, Ivo Herzog, Paula Fabiani 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference FOREWORD Democracy, the system of national governance long seen as most respectful of individual rights, most resilient in the face of change, and best able to provide, appears to have lost its luster. Whether in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas democratic norms appear to be eroding, its institutions challenged if not undermined. Once the standard-bearer of human rights abroad and civil liberties at home, in 2018 the US has experienced the most precipitous decline in citizen trust of any country surveyed by the Edelman Trust Barometer at any time, while China has experienced the greatest rise. Moreover, elections in democracies as far-flung as Hungary, Poland, the Philippines, Mexico and Brazil suggest a trend toward nationalist populism—resulting in illiberal democracies where the vote is sacrosanct but an embrace of pluralism is not. In part this outcome reflects citizens’ response to the pressures of globalization, and the apparent inability of political leaders to address intractable problems— such as inequality, mass migration, climate change or race relations. In the face of this perceived dysfunction, citizen leaders on all continents have turned to community solutions. And philanthropists—once obsessed with scale—have increasingly embraced a new localism. At the 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum, we explored these examples of successful democratic Jane Wales decision-making. First, we addressed the problem writ large. Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, opened the conference by assessing the current state of democracy worldwide and providing an insight into its future. Central European University trustee Kati Marton spoke to rising illiberalism in Europe. And Brad Smith, President of Candid, reported on philanthropy’s efforts to preserve and promote democracy, reclaiming its underlying values. The conversation shifted to the central role of pluralism in any liberal democracy. Meryl Chertoff, of Georgetown Law Center, spoke on her work 1 2019 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference strengthening religious freedom and tolerance. Larry Kramer, President of positive one, one that Koch would like to repeat, p[erhaps in the area of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, argued that every philanthropist immigration reform. Not only would he like to see common sense reform should be working to advance democracy, since all other efforts are but also a path to citizenship for “Dreamers.” Can we use philanthropy weakened if our democratic norms and institutions are failing. And he called forge partnerships on specific issues with those with whom we otherwise upon those gathered to take seriously ideological pluralism—both in their disagree? The answer is yes, and we must. foundations’ internal decisionmaking and in their grants made. And so we naturally took a deep dive into the humanitarian crisis at the Jeremy Heimans, co-founder and CEO of Purpose, and Asha Curran, co- US-Mexico border, and the traumatic experience of asylum seekers and the founder of #GivingTuesday, spoke to the ways in which the information children from whom many have been separated. Jonathan Ryan, president revolution has brought about the decentralization of decision-making, and CEO of RAICES, and Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the including in grassroots movements and grassroots giving. Heimans Children, painted a dark picture of the conditions migrants were facing at argued that the most effective efforts employ “new power” that is “open, that moment and emphasized philanthropy’s role in assisting organizations participatory and peer driven” A highly effective example of new power in that help on the ground. Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director of the ACLU philanthropy is #GivingTuesday, a crowdfunding model, which Curran co- Immigrants’ Rights Project, discussed efforts to inform asylum seekers of founded with Henry Timms. It puts new power to the service of giving and their rights and to advocate on their behalf. Maria Moreno, principal of Las social change. Americas Newcomer School, represented a local solution to minimize the The next panel weighed in on the ongoing debate of whether, on balance, trauma and isolation faced by immigrant children. technology advances or undermines democracy. American Kevin Blankston, We were honored that Global Fund for Children chose to recognize Londoner Stephen King and Sandor Lederer of Hungary were among those philanthropist and GPF co-founder Juliette Gimon, who was lost to cancer who spoke to the ways in which technology is used to advance transparency a year ago. Juliette’s sister Marianne Gimon D’Ansembourg, Global Fund for and build community. But they noted that those same tools have been used Children’s founder Maya Ajmera, and its CEO John Hecklinger, presented by autocratic governments to surveil and suppress citizens. Sean McDonald the inaugural Juliette Gimon Award for Courageous Leadership to two spoke to new approaches to data governance. courageous women: Gamze Karadag of Mavi Kalem and Lesli Dalila Ovando The first day concluded with a moving discussion on extremism and hate, Munoz of Associacion Generando. Karadag assists Syrian women and girls impacted by the refugee crisis. Ovando Muñoz has spent her career fighting which have fueled nationalist movements around the world. Christian for survivors of gender-based violence. Picciolini, founder of the Free Radicals Project, recounted the desire for belonging that drove him into the white nationalist