Indian Descent Lawyer Binaifer Nowrojee Named Head of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
NEW YORK, NY – Kenyan human rights lawyer of Indian descent, Binaifer Nowrojee, will become the first woman from the Global South to head the Open Society Foundations, concluding a three-year period of restructuring for the pro-democracy organization.

Nowrojee has been appointed as the president of Open Society Foundations (OSF) following a unanimous decision by its Board of Directors, succeeding Mark Malloch-Brown.

Presently serving as the vice-president for programs at OSF, Nowrojee joined the organization in 2004 after working at Human Rights Watch.

George Soros, the founder of OSF, emphasized that this appointment is part of efforts to make the organization “truly global.” He stated, “At the outset, that was merely an aspiration. But now I feel that this ambition has been fulfilled with Binaifer Nowrojee as president of the Foundations, supported by an international team.”

With a JD from Columbia Law School and an LLM degree from Harvard Law School, Nowrojee boasts nearly three decades of experience in human rights work. “As a lawyer, much of my professional life has focused on advocating for justice for victims of sexual violence in conflict through international courts. I am Kenyan, of Indian origin, and have lived and worked in Kenya, Tanzania, Singapore, the UK, and US,” she said. “I have accepted this position because I know that when Open Society is at its best, it is an inspiring place to work,” she added.