Equity

Our vision of equity seeks to combat economic inequalities that run deep in society and in the world. This includes entrenched economic inequalities that are deeply rooted in colonial exploitation, which in turn threaten our shared ability to respond to the local, national, and global challenges we all face.

The twin shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia have disrupted the lives of millions around the world and pushed fragile economies into economic crisis. Open Society has been supporting advocates pushing for new financial assistance from the richest countries, and for steps to mitigate the impact of this crisis on the livelihoods of the most vulnerable—while ensuring that governments can continue to fund their commitments to combat and mitigate the climate crisis.

We support efforts to ensure that private corporations take responsibility for the well-being of their workers, for their communities, and for the environment, while also backing initiatives to strengthen the rights and voice of marginalized workers.

Against the backdrop of rising global inequality, a majority of the world’s refugees are hosted in the Global South, often in countries with considerable debt burdens and high rates of poverty. The Global North’s containment approach to displacement and migration, combined with structural constraints perpetuated by decades of international humanitarian and development policies, has driven rightlessness and exclusion of refugees from social protection and societies. Open Society supports groups that recognize that a more equitable approach to sharing responsibility for the world’s refugees is essential.

Open Society works to advance justice-oriented drug policies that decriminalize, equitably regulate, diminish the negative consequences of prohibition. We support the health, safety, and social inclusion of drug-involved populations and communities harmed by coercive drug policies.