On November 15 Open Society Georgia Foundation hosted 20th anniversary reception at State Museum Karvasla. On this occasion, George Soros, the founder of Open Society Foundations has been visiting Georgia. During his short stay George Soros hosted conversation with students on the Future of Europe and its Implications for the World. He also met with members of OSGF Executive Board, Richard Norland, US Ambassador to Georgia and governmental officials, the Chairman of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the President of Georgia.
In his opening speech at the annivesary reception, Giorgi Margvelashvili, the President of Georgia being the OSF alumni, recalled his first meeting with George Soros that happened on the stairs of Central European University in Prague in 1993. David Usupashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament and the founder of Georgian Young Lawyers Association, one of the first human rights NGOs since 1994 talked about importance of open society and OSGF’s support during the transition period.
In the framework of 20th Anniversary activities, OSGF published George Soros’s Essay “My Philanthrophy“, where he talks about his childhood, repression times, his philanthropic aspirations and dedication to building open society. In the essay, he tells about political developments that took place in the Eastern Europe and Post-Soviet Countries, including Georgia. The essey was first published in 2012 as an introduction to the book ‘George Soros Philantropy- Building Open Societies’.
From September 2014 onwards all OSGF events were dedicated to 20th anniversary occasion. OSGF has produced documentary movies and infographs telling the story of building open society over 20 years in Georgia.
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Open Society Georgia Foundation is a member of Open Society Foundations Network founded in 1994 by Open Society Institute – New York. Currently, National Foundations operate in more than 50 countries around the world with the aim to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens.
Throughout 1994-2014, OSGF endowed more than 80 mln. USD in Georgia for protection of human rights, promoting media freedom, educating youth, developing health care etc.
See infographs for more information.