On December 2, the Armenian Office of the Soros Foundation announced that the Armenian branch of the Open Society Foundation (the George Soros Foundation) ceased its activities.
"Since 2021, the Open Society Foundations have been undergoing a wide-ranging reform process to increase the organization's influence in defense of human rights and democratic freedoms. The release says that this process includes reviewing the activities of more than 20 national foundations of the Open Society Foundations and the transition to a regional governance structure. At this key stage in its transformation, Open Society Foundations Armenia chooses to promote its work as a fully independent foundation that separates it from the organization's global network. Thus, the Open Society Foundations-Armenia ceases to operate as part of the Open Society Foundations network. In 2023, a completely new, independent local structure will be created, the directions of activity and strategy of which will be announced later. Funding for this new structure by the global fund will be reduced until 2025," the report said.
Notably, the Soros Foundation began its activities in Armenia in 1997. In 2003, numerous organizations (about 60), funded by the foundation, united in the Partnership for an Open Society initiative.
As a response to the trials of recent years and to fight against the coronavirus in Armenia, the Foundation has allocated more than 1 million USD to provide urgent support to the most vulnerable groups of society during the crisis. During and after the 44-day war in 2020, the Foundation supported the civilian population affected by the war, financing more than 535 thousand US dollars in humanitarian assistance projects.
