Atlas Network

Our 2024 Africa Liberty Forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was a huge success thanks to our attendees! We had a large turnout for two days of insightful discussions and innovative thinking about the freedom movement. This forum allowed our partners to forge valuable connections and shape the future of liberty in Tanzania. We would like to thank all our participants and congratulate our Think Tank Shark Tank winner, YAFO Institute, and our 2024 Africa Liberty Award winner, CDE Great Lakes, for their hard work and achievements. We look forward to seeing you all at the next forum!

Nathaniel Dwamena, Founder and President of the YAFO Institute, won our Think Tank Shark Tank pitch competition at Africa Liberty Forum 2024 with his project, "Decentralized Business Empowerment (DBE)." The current business environment in Ghana is challenging, leading to the exit of at least 10 multinational companies due to a burdensome tax environment. Small businesses, which employ about 94% of the population, also struggle under these conditions. The Decentralized Business Empowerment (DBE) project aims to empower small businesses in Ghana through training on utilizing decentralized technology to reduce operational expenses and avoid double taxation, thereby promoting business growth and expansion. This training will equip small businesses to compete globally, expand into new markets, and build resilient operations. Nathaniel's win ensures that the DBE project can continue its mission of enabling small businesses in Ghana to thrive in a competitive digital landscape, fostering economic growth and opportunity through innovation and empowerment.

Centre For Development and Enterprises Great Lakes has won this year’s 2024 Africa Liberty Award for their dedication securing women’s property rights in Burundi. Women make up 70% of the workers in Burundi's agricultural workforce but less than 10% of landowners. This disparity is caused by legal and cultural factors that make it difficult for women to own and inherit land. To address this problem and promote equality before the law, Centre For Development and Enterprises Great Lakes carried out their unprecedented “Why Women” policy and public education project. Because of CDE Great Lakes’ ongoing work with the parliament, the supreme court, and other stakeholders, millions of Burundian women and girls now have stronger legal protections for their right to benefit from the land that belongs to them—without discrimination. Congratulations to CDE!

A recent feature in Brussels Report explores just how much the work of the Institute for Market Economics (IME), winner of our 2024 Europe Liberty Award, means for the future of Bulgaria. Since 2015, the IME Legal Program has worked on reforms to remove Soviet influences from the country’s judicial system. Their efforts led to a constitutional amendment passed last year by the Bulgarian National Assembly, which aims to advance judicial independence and accountability and strengthen the rule of law. Despite this progress, there's a risk that these reforms could be overturned or stalled by future legislatures. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ehJBGyXS

Lioness Magazine’s feature on “She Rises Up” highlights both the film’s portrayal of how women are harnessing the power of entrepreneurship to escape poverty and how our partners are making that possible. “She Rises Up” follows the inspiring journeys of three women—Gladys Yupanqui from Peru, Magatte Wade from Senegal, and Selyna Peiris from Sri Lanka—as they defy the odds, overcome countless barriers, and start businesses that provide better lives for them and their families. Lioness Magazine’s coverage of the film explains how specific Atlas Network partners, such as Centre for Development and Enterprises Great Lakes, Asociación de Contribuyentes del Perú, the Advocata Institute, and African Students For Liberty, are removing the barriers women face and empowering them to build better lives through entrepreneurship. Click the link to read the full article and find a theater near you to watch this inspiring documentary: https://lnkd.in/grChea7k

Dr. Parth J. Shah, founder of the Centre for Civil Society (CCS), has transformed India's public policy landscape. His efforts have helped build India’s freedom movement and enabled better lives and livelihoods for millions of people. One of Parth’s many contributions have been in bridging the gap between abstract economic theories and the real world needs of the poor. By framing the ideas of liberty in a way that directly connects to the everyday struggles and aspirations of marginalized communities, including by deploying the more descriptive “livelihood freedom” over “economic freedom,” Parth fostered broader support and engagement with the cause of liberty and economic empowerment. This strategic shift in messaging emphasized how economic reforms and free-market principles could directly improve their livelihoods, helping them overcome poverty and access better opportunities. For his contributions to the freedom movement in India and around the world, Parth will receive the 2024 Sir Antony Fisher Achievement Award at the Freedom Dinner in NYC. Click the link to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eBqNDvD8

Congratulations to the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies - LIMS, the 2024 Middle East & North Africa Liberty Award winner! LIMS led a relentless advocacy campaign from 2020 to 2023 that successfully terminated Lebanon’s Central Bank Subsidy Program, ending detrimental subsidies and alleviating shortages of essentials like food, fuel, and medicine. This monumental achievement has allowed goods to flow more freely and businesses to access electricity, improving daily life for many Lebanese citizens. We also recognize the incredible efforts of the other two finalists: Freedom and Citizenship Association (Mauritania): Launched the “Economic Freedom Audit of Mauritania,” identifying key policy challenges and advocating for solutions to enhance economic prosperity and human dignity. Their campaign highlights significant issues such as discriminatory loan practices against women and high commercial taxes. Students For Liberty Middle East & North Africa: Through their project “Echoes of the Spring,” they promote free speech across 23 countries. With over 500,000 video views, hundreds of student leaders trained, and numerous events, they foster open dialogue and spread ideas of economic freedom and business friendliness in challenging environments. These remarkable organizations are advancing economic freedom and human progress through innovation and tireless advocacy.

For micro-entrepreneurs in Paraguay, rising out of poverty is complicated, and it’s made even harder by a lack of access to the benefits of the formal economy. Traditional anti-poverty measures designed to help have fallen short, but Fundación Paraguaya's Poverty Stoplight program is taking a different approach—and making a real impact. This innovative tool helps families create personalized plans, empowering them to take ownership of their journey and tackle the barriers that matter most to them, which often includes seeking formalization for their enterprises. Supported by Atlas Network, their efforts have reached 59 countries, changing thousands of lives. Last year, 90% of participating families reported significant progress toward their goals. Discover how this groundbreaking approach is transforming lives around the world. Click the link to read the full article! https://lnkd.in/eTg_67W9

In the eastern European country of Georgia, the authoritarian government has implemented the anti-free speech “Foreign Agents Law” to silence pro-freedom organizations. This law will force civil society organizations such as our partners to declare that they work on behalf of foreign governments—a lie meant to discredit them. This is an attempt by pro-Kremlin officials to suppress freedom of expression and stigmatize pro-freedom groups. Georgian citizens have been protesting the Foreign Agents Law, clashing with law enforcement and regularly facing attacks and propaganda from the government. Atlas Network continues to stand with our partners in Georgia in support of free speech, but we can only do it with the sustained generosity of our donor community. We're in the middle of our end-of-quarter fundraising drive and seeking 100 new champions to join us with a monthly commitment to support our efforts and partners. We aim to raise $12,000 by June 30, with a generous donor matching your contributions. Click the link to learn more! https://lnkd.in/eSFDjeMe

Our 2024 Europe Liberty Forum in Madrid, Spain was a huge success this year thanks to our attendees! Hundreds of individuals from varied backgrounds came together for two days of insightful discussions and innovative thinking about the freedom movement. This forum allowed our partners to forge valuable connections and shape the future of liberty in the heart of this vibrant capital. We would like to thank all of our participants and congratulate our Think Tank Shark Tank winner Alessio Cotroneo (Istituto Liberale) and our 2024 Europe Liberty Award winner the Institute for Market Economics (IME) in Bulgaria for all of their hard work and achievements. We look forward to seeing you all at the next forum!