Our Thought Circle brings together a number of individuals whose work and judgment Progress & Change Partnerships holds in deep regard.
As thinkers and practitioners whose perspectives inform and challenge us, their insight sharpens how we read complex situations; their networks and experience strengthen how we engage with partners across civil society, policy, and multilateral spaces. They are not a governing body, and they do not speak on behalf of the organisation.
Their presence signals something about what we stand for and we are incredibly thankful for their support.
Maina Kiai (Kenya)
Kenyan human rights advocate and former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly and Association, whose work has helped define the international standards by which civic space is measured and defended.
Maina Kiai extensively campaigned for human rights and constitutional reform in Kenya, notably through serving as the Chairman of Kenya's National Human Rights Commission from 2003 to 2008. In 2010, he co-founded InformAction, a Kenyan grassroots organization that uses film and documentaries to educate people and urge them to claim their rights.
Dr. Vesna Pusić (Croatia)
Croatian academic, feminist leader, former First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, who has spent decades bridging European institutions and democratic movements. Her work brings a consistent gender lens to questions of democratic integrity and civic space.
After becoming involved in politics in the early 1990s, when Dr. Pusić was one of the 28 founding members of the liberal Croatian People's Party, Dr. Pusić served five consecutive terms as MP. During her 2008–2011 parliament term she chaired the parliamentary committee for tracking the progress of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union.
Anar Mammadli (Azerbaijan)
Azerbaijani human rights defender and election monitor, currently detained by the Azerbaijani government. His membership is a statement of solidarity and recognition: his work continues, and so does ours.
Anar Mammadli has dedicated his career to electoral integrity in Azerbaijan, co-founding the country's only independent election watchdog, the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre. Twice imprisoned on politically motivated charges, he received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize in 2014. He remains in detention today.