Annual Report & Audited Accounts 2023
In the period covered by this report minority and indigenous peoples’ rights have continued to deteriorate sharply. In many jurisdictions this is a deliberate ploy to enlist majoritarianism as a tool to win elections. The year 2024 is synonymous with elections. A non-exhaustive list of countries where governments and opposition parties are turning to their electorates for governance mandates includes Algeria, Belize, Botswana, Chad, Comoros, Croatia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lithuania, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Soloman Islands, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Togo, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Elections seem a logical route to achieve desperately needed systems change. Yet, manipulated through hate towards particular communities, they can create an environment of fragmentation. This makes minorities the story rather than climate change, declining industries, high inflation, unfair wealth distribution and growing inequality. Coming against the backdrop of shrinking civic space, this requires organizations like MRG to implement strategies to keep societies focused on their principal governance challenges while actively combatting disinformation and hate.
MRG’s resources have continued to grow, helping us to react to these contexts. We commenced new projects in countries where the need is strong (e.g. Brazil, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) while consolidating work in others. While our project funding rose, access to unrestricted funds did not rise to the same extent, challenging us to retain flexibility, stay responsive and build a resilient growth-supportive organizational structure. Finding new core donors who can prove as committed as our longstanding donors remains a high priority to secure our reach and impact while we stretch to respond to need.
The severity of the pressures on donors, states, businesses, institutions, societies and our communities themselves makes us appreciate those who support our work even more. It is a particular privilege to work with those who contribute to the global struggle for minority and indigenous rights in the belief that a more secure, equal and fair society is possible: one where the accident of birth is not the sole determinant of an individual’s or a community’s trajectory and outcome. To all who share our journey — partners, donors, staff and allies — we are deeply grateful for your work, the risks you take, the financial support you provide, and the influence you seek to wield to shape the world into one where everyone matters equally.
– Professor Joshua Castellino & Claire Thomas, April 2024