Dear friends and allies,
My name is Gabriela Bucher. It is my honor to serve as the second president and CEO of the Fund for Global Human Rights.
It has been just four months since I joined the Fund. Already, I can look back to what feels like a whirlwind of deepening interactions and rich insights into a world that is both new and familiar. The more I learn about the Fund and its history over the last two decades, the more I feel lucky to have the opportunity to join at this critical moment in time. I also feel lucky to join such a warm community of people, activists, and allies. I truly appreciate the trust, honesty, and energy that everyone brings to our mission.
I am writing this shortly after the Fund’s first all-staff retreat since 2019. After several years of remote work, Fund staff from across the globe were able to gather for long overdue—and much needed—time together. Over three days, we reflected on the history of the Fund, explored our core values and what it means to live them through our work, and began to set course for the future of the organization. Perhaps most importantly, we came together as a community—sharing meals, learning from one another, and building on the Fund’s proud culture of service and activism. I see this valuable time together as renewable energy that we can continue to draw on as we return to our countries, our homes, and our work.
Today, human rights are at a pivotal point. As we prepare to mark the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, our movement is taking stock of its progress. Indeed, we have much to celebrate. Local activists, supported by the Fund, have made huge strides in recent years. In India, activists played a critical role in the landmark Supreme Court decision in 2018 that struck down a colonial-era law banning same-sex relations. Social movements, from the End SARS demonstrations in Nigeria to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, have rallied communities to demand justice. And just last month, Mexico decriminalized abortion across the entire country after years of community-led advocacy—part of a wave across Latin America, from Argentina to my native Colombia.
The power of grassroots activism has helped transform our world. Yet human rights are still under threat across the globe.
In recent days, we have watched with deep concern as horrifying acts of violence have unfolded in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have joined the vital call for international law to be followed, civilian lives to be protected, and critical aid to immediately be allowed to flow to those facing a human rights catastrophe in Gaza.
Other challenges continue to arise. Last month, the devastating earthquake in Morocco and floods in Libya showed just how fragile the relationship is between people and our planet. Evolving technologies, including artificial intelligence, are opening new frontiers of the possible, with both incredible opportunities but also immense risks for rights abuses. A tide of hateful legislations aims to strip LGBTQ+ people of their rights and put their lives at risk, presaged by Uganda’s cruel anti-homosexuality law that went into effect earlier this year. And activists themselves face mounting danger in the context of closing civic space. A report from Global Witness found that environmental activists were murdered at the rate of one every other day in 2022.
Our mission—to support the vision, potential, and safety of grassroots activists—feels more important than ever.
The Fund, too, is going through a moment of profound change. Since I joined the organization in June, my priority has been to listen deeply and to learn. I have been fascinated to hear about our profound interaction with activist organizations and communities of intertwined stories in which peoples’ lives and passions are intensely driven by purpose. I have been able to speak to all my colleagues and to many activists individually and collectively in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Thailand. I have met a new group of peer CEOs with whom to exchange ideas and compare notes. I have also appreciated hearing how donors perceive our work now and have been impressed by how appreciative they have been of the Fund’s work over the years.
Over the coming months, we will be undertaking a strategic review to deeply harness our learnings and articulate our collective vision for the Fund’s future. Through this ongoing dialogue with grantees, partners, and donors, we will critically examine two decades of achievements and challenges at the Fund. As a funder and an ally, we should be constantly challenging ourselves to be the best possible vehicle for the critical work of upholding human rights, led by innovative new forms of activism on the front lines.
The culture and identity of the Fund is at the heart of this learning process. Our all-staff retreat was just the beginning. Our ongoing work on diversity, equity, and inclusion will be the foundation for our future—combining dialogue with clear plans and policies that institutionalize the changes we seek to see. We have an opportunity to deeply articulate what it means for us to be antiracist, decolonial, feminist, and a truly global organization. The core values that serve as our bedrock—respect, integrity, sustainability, agility, and inclusiveness—will guide every step we take.
At my first all-staff meeting, Akwasi Aidoo, a former Board chair, opened with a beautiful poem about the Fund. As his words painted an image in my mind, they deeply resonated, and I felt my understanding and appreciation of the Fund growing in layered beauty. A poem best describes this unique, thoughtful organization, in which words have been carefully chosen and organizational form has been kept light, responsive, and able to go deep in meaning and connection to values.
I strongly believe in honoring that legacy and placing it at the service of current and future challenges. And I look forward to sharing that future with you—our community—at this important moment for our movement and this organization.
Warmly,
Gabriela
