A SEAT AT THE TABLE

This is Maryam Nayeb Yazdi. I am a human rights defender and founder of Seed Operations. I conceptualized Seed in 2013 while living in Canada. My goal was to create a structure that would cut out the bureaucracy that holds many organizations back from maximizing impact. I noticed an urgent need for decentralization in the human rights and nonprofit world. A structure with less hierarchy. Where everyone is a leader or a stakeholder. 

I moved to the US a few years later and registered Seed as a 501(c)(3). Although I had to follow the traditional NGO model to register, the idea has always been to transform it into a fully functioning, decentralized organization where initiatives are seeded and take on a life of their own. 

The process of creating a decentralized human rights NGO in a world dominated by centralized structures has felt like an uphill battle, but it has also been extremely rewarding, exciting, and fulfilling.

The key to sustaining and growing Seed’s’ decentralization model is to gather a team around shared core values. 

We use root cause analysis and nonviolent communication to increase people’s understanding of issues that seem complex. By focusing on the whys of issues, we can promote a culture of critical thinking, so people formulate their own conclusions rather than adopting the viewpoints of others. This is all the more important in a social media environment where people are vulnerable to disinformation.  

Our focus is human rights. So, the idea is that increasing understanding of the root causes of human rights violations will increase prospects for accountability.

The main vision is to create a world where every person on this earth can realize their potential. In order for us to get to that point, we need to make sure that every person in this world has access to their basic freedoms, rights and needs. If you are interested to learn more, you can visit SeedOperations.org where you will also find our contact information. It would be awesome to hear from you.

This podcast series “A Seat at the Table” is brought to you by the Oslo Women’s Rights Initiative. OWRI helps bridge the gap between women leaders and gatekeepers to power, so they can better shape policy. Our overall vision is to create a more just and equitable world for everyone. The OWRI was founded in 2017 as an annual event that takes place in Oslo every March. It is a project incubated under Seed Operations.

Our hope this year is to shift the OWRI from an annual event to a decentralized, year-round operation, so we may do more and have more impact. To stay connected to the community, you can visit OsloWomensRightsInitiative.com 

This podcast series discusses global peace and security through the lens of civil society leaders, namely women, who are often excluded from policy discussions. We focus especially on the situations in Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Syria, which were a direct result of civil society leadership and civil society as a whole being sidelined by the international community. 

The mass uprisings in this region calling for democracy, dignity, and basic freedoms were essentially calls for peace, security and stability. Because authoritarian regimes are inherently unstable. And civil society leaders promoting human rights and nonviolent transitions are the only viable pathway to stability and long-term prosperity. They are the most representative of their society’s best interests, not the authoritarian leaders or even the international community. In fact, in most, if not all cases, the best interests of authoritarian leaders are to the detriment of the civil societies they rule over.

This idea of prioritizing “quick fixes” or short term gains over long-term stability is a false tradeoff created by the international community. 

We dig deep into the root causes of why conflict happens and what we can do to support countries where people are fighting to live free from authoritarianism. We analyze and unpack concepts of peace, security, and stability and ask questions like: What does peace, security, and stability even mean in the first place? And do we as activists share the same definitions as the overall international community? We explore if we’re even on the same page when we talk about these issues. And so much more.

I had the privilege and honor to speak to network members of the OWRI about these issues, including brilliant insights from Libyan activist Asma Khalifa and Yemeni activist Yasmin Al-Nadheri. I always feel so grateful and humbled after speaking to them. I am sure you will receive a lot of enrichment and inspiration as well by tuning in. See you in the next episode. Bye for now.