Open Society President Binaifer Nowrojee Highlights Latin America’s Role in Fight for Rights, Equity, and Justice

MEXICO CITY—In a special lecture delivered at the National Museum of Anthropology, Binaifer Nowrojee, President of the Open Society Foundations, highlighted Latin America’s role as a leader of bold social transformation in an era of global crisis.

Her lecture, “Standing for What’s Right in a World Gone Wrong,” spotlighted the role of feminist movements, democratic reforms being undertaken by governments in the region, economic justice initiatives, and climate action—while calling for renewed global solidarity rooted in human rights and equity.

“Latin America is home to some of the most vibrant, courageous movements in the world,” Nowrojee said. “It’s where decades of struggle are transforming not just politics, but power itself.”

From partnering with local leaders, Open Society has expanded its work to back locally-led initiatives that advance gender justice, protect environmental defenders, and strengthen democratic institutions.

Nowrojee praised Mexico’s historic progress on gender parity, including the recent election of President Claudia Sheinbaum, and pointed to broader shifts across the region—from Argentina’s abortion rights victory to Indigenous-led movements defending democracy in Guatemala.

“These are not symbolic victories,” she emphasized. “They are the result of organized, persistent activism. And they are laying the foundation for more inclusive and resilient democracies.”

In a full auditorium before leaders, policymakers, and civil society leaders dedicated to advancing human rights, Nowrojee commended the endurance and resilient spirit of the Latin American people, a region that went through colonization and won liberation and, over the years, has seen the evolution of different courageous social movements rising in the most difficult times.

She also spoke of events globally, with the rise of authoritarianism, historic levels of inequality, the proliferation of conflict, and the risks to the international order.

“The liberal international order, which was designed to hold our world together, is fracturing—risking the breakdown not only of global cooperation but the very idea of our shared humanity. These are not separate and distinct crises. They are interlocking, systemic failures that have created a world gone wrong,” asserted Nowrojee. 

The Open Society Foundations work in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, centering the communities that have long been marginalized and excluded but bear the great consequences of systemic crises. In many of these contexts, it's women and youth as the drivers of change.

“They are bringing down the oppressive and discriminatory structures that have held them back. And they are reimagining their societies and pursuing their aspirations for a more just and equitable world. The world has gone wrong in many ways, but there are also people making it right,” said Binaifer.