Statement from the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors

As members of the Executive Committee of the Global Fund for Women Board of Directors, a feminist fund dedicated to gender justice, we will not tolerate abuses of power. We are committed to ensuring our employees, our partners, and the people they work with have an equal right to protection. This is detailed in Global Fund for Women’ Safeguarding Policy and Anti-bribery and Corruption Policy. 

In October 2021, we were made aware of complaints against Nazra Feminist Studies, a women’s rights organization based in Egypt, and the Doria Feminist Fund (DFF), a feminist funder in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The complaint alleged abuse of power; manipulation; bullying; blackmailing; defamation; abuse; plagiarism; and a lack of administrative and financial transparency on the part of the founder of Nazra Feminist Studies, as well as a failure of the DFF Board to act upon learning of these complaints.  

In the spirit of feminist transparency and solidarity, we want to share the following regarding our response to these allegations: 

• Mozn Hassan continues to be recused indefinitely from all discussions and decisions regarding this matter including funding  
• We are committed to supporting a timely, transparent, and independent process of investigation grounded in feminist restorative justice approaches and outcomes. 
• We’ve been made aware by the DFF board that they are in the process of engaging an independent investigator, and we will be awaiting the outcome of that investigation to determine relevant next steps. 
• We are committed to pooling resources and information with the community of sister funds and others.