I think Gaza is a shocking moment in world history that the entire globe could literally turn a blind eye to such severe violations against civilians, journalists, children.

It's obscene. It's a blot of shame that our generation will need to live with.

Hello and welcome to Ways to Change the World.

I'm Christiani Guru Murphy, and this is the podcast where we talk to extraordinary people

about the big ideas in their lives and the events that have helped shape them.

So what does it take to defend human rights in an age of democratic backsliding,

rising authoritarianism, and shrinking civic space.

What does accountability look like when power becomes more oppressive and civic space more fragile?

My guest this week is someone who has spent three decades on the front line of those questions,

from documenting sexual violence in the Rwandan genocide with human rights watch,

to helping shape the global fight for democracy, justice and human rights.

Binaifa Naroji is the first female president of the Open Society Foundation,

the world's largest private funder working to promote human rights, equity and justice.

And as an international human rights lawyer, she has led major programs across Africa and Asia, tours at Harvard Law School, and built a career confronting some of the most urgent

human rights crises of our time.

Now a civil society comes under mounting pressure around the world.

She's here to discuss the future of democracy, the growing threats facing NGOs, and why defending human rights has become

both more difficult and more necessary than ever. Ben Ifa welcome. Thank you. If you could

change the world in any way, how would you change it? I think one of the biggest issues is the fact that

women just are not able to take their place at the table fully. And if I could do one thing,

I would make sure that all women, regardless of where they are, are able to fully exercise

their dignity, their rights, and their ability to access

...