Dear friends and allies,
Since I joined the Fund for Global Human Rights as president and CEO in June 2023, my highest priority has been to work with our team to build on our many strengths and prepare the organization for the challenges and opportunities ahead, so that we can best partner with human rights activists tackling injustice.
I believe it is important for every organization to honor its history, learn from its practice, reflect on its journey, and be intentional about its strategy. So, after my arrival, FGHR embarked upon a process of deep listening and reflection to take stock of how we can be most effective.
We have focused on assessing our strengths and weaknesses through discussions with donors, grantee partners, and allies, and unpacking what we have learned from over 20 years of grantmaking. The result is a refined understanding of our place in this tumultuous global context—and what we must do to keep bolstering the power of human rights movements in the years ahead.
This understanding is captured in our new Strategic Outlook 2025–30 and is reflected in the changes you see from today on our website and in our external brand identity.
Since we began to refine our strategy, there have been seismic shifts in the global funding landscape and mounting political realignments that make the work of our community more critical than ever.
Authoritarianism is on the rise globally. The democratic values and human rights principles that have underpinned international law are under immense strain, while the existential challenges of inequality and the climate crisis require greater, more urgent collaboration. Nothing illustrates this moment of acute crisis, and how weakened the international system has become, than the genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza.
This global crisis we are in requires a new vision, but governments globally are failing to lead the way. However, in communities across the world, activists are fighting for justice, imagining new futures, and keeping the hope of a more inclusive and democratic future alive. I am inspired by how movements across the globe are adapting to this challenging context with imagination and courage. We have the resolve to stand strong together, finding creative ways to face the challenges, and ultimately to emerge with renewed power and hope.
One of the many privileges of working at FGHR is that every day I am reminded of the incredible creativity, tenacity, and resolve that activists around the world show in the face of adversity—from the journalists and women’s rights activists who kept working throughout the civil war in Syria to those who led the decades-long pursuit of justice and healing in Guatemala.
Now, in the face of rising authoritarianism and political instability, all of us who believe in human rights must draw on that unwavering determination. Because history shows us that out of adversity and struggle, new ideas can take root. And a way through is always possible.
FGHR exists to invest in the power of human rights activism around the world. One thing I often come back to is that this means we are, quite literally, investing in hope. Not blind hope, but a hope that is anchored in resolve and spurs imagination of possible futures.
The world is changing. And so are we. But our commitment to justice, dignity, and fundamental freedoms will never waver. We will nurture new seeds of hope in the toughest ground and we will stay the course.
I hope you’ll join us.
Yours in solidarity,
Gabriela Bucher
