News

Open Society Foundations concluded to amend the name of the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program to East East Beyond Borders Program. The name has been changed in the grant documentation and at our website; the grant focus areas and criteria remain the same.

Open Society Fund Prague has changed the address of its seat. From today, please use the following address on invoices, contracts and other official documents: Nadace Open Society Fund Praha (Open Society Fund Prague), Prokopova 197/9, 130 00 Praha 3, Czech Republic. The contact and postal address remains different: OSF Prague, Jeseniova 47, 130 00 Praha 3, Czech Republic. Thank you!

The Open Society Fund Prague has launched the Otakar Motejl Fund, a new anti-corruption and freedom of information initiative named after Otakar Motejl, the Czech Republic's first ombudsman. The Fund will be supporting Czech watchdog groups to promote honest and transparent government and to fight corruption. OSF has donated the first 11.5 million Czech crowns to the Fund and is calling on the Czech companies and public to contribute financially.

Václav Havel, the first Czech president of the post-1989 era, died today at the age of 75. He will be remembered and honored for his lifelong commitment to human rights and democracy, not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Burma, Cuba, Belarus, and many other countries.

We deeply regret the passing of Václav Havel. He was a tireless champion of an active civil society, whose values and principles have long been promoted by our organization – a society in which every single person bears a share of responsibility, in which the government is accountable to its citizens and in which basic human rights are upheld. His enormous efforts in this field will be greatly missed – by us and the whole world. Nevertheless, we will continue working for these principles and believe that all of Czech society will keep fighting for them too.

The Open Society Fund Prague and the Open Society Foundations extend their sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Chachipe means "truth" or "reality" in Romanes, and it can also mean "right." As organizers of the Chachipe Map international photo contest, the Open Society Foundations and OSA Archivum at Central European University invite you to show us through photos how you see your world, your reality and what you believe to be true.

In October 13th to 14th, 2011, the Open Society Fund Prague is moving to a new location. Until Monday October 17, our landlines and e-mail addresses will thus not work. From Monday on, you will find us in our new office at Jeseniova 47, Prague 3.

The Think Tank Fund and the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program of the Open Society Foundations support bilateral partnerships between think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union and Southeast Asia, and between think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union and Latin America. The objective of this competition is to connect policy analysts and experts to promote global peer cooperation in analysis, debate, and comparative policy solutions. Czech think tanks are welcome to apply - the deadline for the submission of concept papers is September 30, 2011.

Founder of the Open Society Foundations, financier and philanthropist George Soros visited Prague in June 26 – 28, 2011. His visit was prepared by Open Society Fund Prague. Soros attended a meeting of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, an initiative his Open Society Foundations and the World Bank launched in 2005. It now includes 12 Central and Eastern European countries and during the meeting, Macedonia took over the chairmanship of the initiative from the Czech Republic.

In 2007, the Open Society Foundations launched the initiative Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma as an instrument to connect achievement of the Roma Decade objectives to EU financial resources. The program now seeks colleagues for the following positions: Advocacy Program Coordinator, Program Coordinator - Project Generation Facility and Project Manager - South East Europe. The deadline for submission of CV´s is on 24th September 2011.

The Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation is seeking a full-time Policy Analyst (deadline: 16. 9. 2011) and full-time Senior Policy Officer (deadline: 23. 9. 2011) for its office in Budapest, Hungary. The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 is a political commitment by European governments to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Roma population. Its Secretariat enhances coordination of all joint activities and acts as the permanent repository of information and knowledge about the Decade.