Atlas Network

Five weeks until Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner! I’ll be highlighting the Templeton Freedom Award Finalists every week leading up to the event. The Templeton Freedom Award is Atlas Network’s most prestigious award that recognizes our partners’ outstanding contributions to the freedom movement. The winner of the award takes home a $100,000 prize. Centre For Development and Enterprises Great Lakes’ (Burundi) project “Why Women” has been monumental in advocating for and securing women’s property and inheritance rights in the country. In 2021, their community listening campaigns eventually led to Burundi’s President of Parliament addressing women’s inheritance rights for the first time in a decade. The Supreme Court of Burundi would go on to publish model land judgments reinforcing gender equality in these matters and further enact significant legal reforms in 2023. Because of CDE’s work, the number of women holding land certificates in Burundi has increased from 3,000 in 2015 to 21,000 today. Let’s congratulate CDE Great Lakes for their outstanding work advancing property rights for women 👏🏼 CDE Great Lakes will be represented by Aimable MANIRAKIZA. I hope that you will be able to attend our forum to see them take the stage! 🇧🇮 Click here to learn more about the Templeton Freedom Award and this year’s winners: https://lnkd.in/eDAyjxd6 Click here to learn more about our Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner and register: https://lnkd.in/gZMJdGha.

One of the cool things about working for Atlas Network is that I get to see what works policy-wise in more than 100 countries where we have amazing partners working to make the world more free, more peaceful and more prosperous. With the US on the eve of another presidential election, this "window" on the world has given me an opportunity to take a look at how the US might improve our voting system taking some lessons from our friends in Brazil. Many thanks to my good friend, Gustavo Gobbi at Livres, for agreeing to put this OpEd together with me for RealClearPolitics on what America can learn from Brazil about building an American voting system that is more "uniform, easy to use, transparent, and provides results quickly." As Gustavo and I argue, "such a system would move us a long way toward restoring confidence in our voting system and make it difficult to claim voter suppression or counting manipulation." https://lnkd.in/g9n9Xpbf #2024elections #voting #Brazil #Livres

In a new op-ed in RealClearPolitics, Atlas Network’s Dr. Lyall Swim and Gustavo Gobbi of Livres, an Atlas Network partner organization, explore the erosion of trust in U.S. democratic institutions, with a particular focus on the voting process. They argue that confidence in voting is essential for a strong democracy—and outline the key attributes needed to build a more transparent and trustworthy system. By looking at Brazil's voting model, they highlight practical steps the U.S. can consider to restore public trust. Brazil’s system is uniform, easy to use, transparent, and efficient, providing quick results that prevent doubts about election integrity. The Brazilian approach offers valuable insights for addressing the challenges facing American democracy today. Read the op-ed to learn more about how these reforms could help restore faith in one of our most fundamental rights. https://lnkd.in/eMi9vSaQ

Spanish citizens are gaining relief from high taxes thanks to the Foundation for the Advancement of Liberty (Fundalib). By analyzing regional tax disparities and advocating for meaningful reform, Fundalib has helped reduce or eliminate burdensome inheritance and wealth taxes across numerous regions in Spain. This effort has significantly lifted the financial pressure on vulnerable families, particularly those at risk of losing inheritances due to unaffordable taxes. Explore how Fundalib’s work is creating lasting impact and reshaping Spain's tax landscape. Read the full article for a closer look: https://lnkd.in/eK8rP_nc

I can’t believe that two weeks have already passed since the Atlas Network Asia Liberty Forum in New Delhi! A big thank you to Rida Yumn Ahmed from Students For Liberty South Asia and Angela Arnante from Foundation for Economic Freedom (Philippines) for joining me on a panel to discuss their efforts to promote free market principles among the youth in Asia. (Am I getting old if I say “the youth”?) A congratulations to Namini Panditha from Liberal Youth Movement for stepping onto the stage and winning our Think Tank Shark Tank competition for her organization’s efforts to educate Sri Lankans in classical liberal ideas. 🎊 And a big round of applause to The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs | IDEAS for being named winners of the 2024 Asia Liberty Award for their work on political and public finance reform in Malaysia, championing budget transparency across the country’s 13 states and keeping government accountable. 👏🏼 Finally, a big thank you to our co-hosts Centre for Civil Society for welcoming us into their home and making this event possible! 🇮🇳 What were some of your favorite parts of the forum? ⬇️ I can’t wait until next year’s event, and in the meantime, I hope that a lot of you will be able to attend our Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner in New York this November where we’ll get to celebrate even more of our partners’ work all across the globe: https://lnkd.in/eFHUbhqY.

Time is running out to support your favorite pro-liberty Smart Bets projects! Ten incredible organizations from around the world are vying for $50,000 in additional funding to boost their important initiatives—and your vote is key in deciding the winner. These Atlas Network partners are making a significant impact by promoting pro-freedom policy reforms and empowering entrepreneurs. Check out their pitch videos on our website to learn about their innovative projects. Your vote will help determine who advances to the stage at Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner next month, where the final round of competition will take place, and the grand prize winner will be decided. Cast your vote today: https://lnkd.in/daRA5rtV

The Eastern Caucus has great news! The #Zimbabwe #Economic #Audit is finally out. It delves into detail and informs citizens, policymakers, and academia on the ease of doing business, and provides recommendations that we hope will go a long way in promoting NSD1&2 and our country's "Zimbabwe is Open for Business" call. Atlas Network Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) COMESA Secretariat UNDP Zimbabwe Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (official) Agricultural Marketing Authority Old Mutual Zimbabwe Simbisa Brands Limited CIPE AFRICA Zimbabwe Markets And Adverts Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange

Atlas Network is pleased to share the incredible work of the finalists for our 2024 Templeton Freedom Award. This year's finalists exemplify the impact of innovative solutions on economic freedom and human progress. Bendukidze Free Market Center in Ukraine is championing economic literacy, reaching about 100,000 students despite the ongoing war. Centre for Development and Enterprises Great Lakes in Burundi is defending women’s property and inheritance rights through significant legal reforms that uphold gender equality under the law. In Spain, Foundation for the Advancement of Liberty (Fundalib) has achieved notable tax reforms, reducing burdens for low-income families and easing financial pressures. Meanwhile, Institute for Market Economics in Bulgaria is leading judicial reform efforts, advocating for changes that tackle corruption and strengthen public trust. Lebanese Institute for Market Studies has played a crucial role in removing destructive subsidy program, returning essential goods to the market. Finally, Pacific Legal Foundation in the United States successfully led a national campaign against home equity theft, culminating in a unanimous Supreme Court decision that affirms property rights for homeowners. Join us at Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner 2024 to celebrate their dedication to advancing liberty worldwide: https://bit.ly/4hD98a3

I can't believe Atlas Network's Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner is only three weeks away! I've already highlighted three Templeton Freedom Award Finalists, and I have three more to highlight before they all take the stage in New York City. The Templeton Freedom Award is Atlas Network’s most prestigious award that recognizes our partners’ outstanding contributions to the freedom movement. The winner of the award takes home a $100,000 prize. 💰 Many of our partners have impacted policies at the local level, but how many can say that they have contributed to amending their country's constitution? 2024 Europe Liberty Award winner Institute for Market Economics (IME) did just that in late 2023 when their initiatives led to an amendment that would enhance Bulgaria’s judicial independence, curb the powers of the country’s Prosecutor General, and align its legal framework with European standards. IME’s proposal, first introduced in 2019, laid the groundwork for ending unchecked corruption in the judicial system, limiting the power of unelected officials, and creating a stable economic environment for entrepreneurs and investors. Previously, the Prosecutor General had significant influence over the work of prosecutors, often guiding them on specific cases to favor political or business interests. This often prevented cases from reaching the courtroom. Now, the involvement of the prosecutor's office in civil and administrative cases is restricted to those cases explicitly provided for by specific laws, rather than at the discretion of the Prosecutor General.   IME’s project represents a notable step forward in Bulgaria’s ongoing transition to a fully democratic and economically vibrant society, and we are very excited to have them join us in New York City! 👏 Click here to learn more about the Templeton Freedom Award and this year’s finalists: https://lnkd.in/eDAyjxd6 Click here to learn more about our Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner and register: https://lnkd.in/eKs-ynmp..

18 leaders from across the globe joined us at the Atlas Network office today as part of the Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) Leadership Retreat! LOLA chapters around the world bring together women who are dedicated to spreading the ideas of individual liberty and a free society. 👩💼🌎 My colleagues Alyssa DiPadova and Joyce Lee talked to the LOLAs about Atlas Network’s grant and training opportunities and other ways they can integrate themselves more into the network. I’m wishing the LOLA leaders the best as they finish up their retreat in DC, and I hope that their work continues to help spread classical liberal principles to women worldwide! 🗽