The Human Rights Watch Council

Founded in 1998, the Human Rights Watch Council is a global network of volunteers who support the organization through fundraising, outreach, and advocacy initiatives. There are currently over 850 members in 33 cities around the globe. The majority of our members belong to 20 Committees located in cities of influence that drive the activities of the Council and form a network of dedicated human rights supporters. Click on the links below to learn more about our Committees.
 

• Australia
   

• Basel
   

• Belgium
   

• Beirut
   

• Berlin
   

• Canada
   

• Chicago
   

• Frankfurt
   

• Geneva
   

• London
   

• Los Angeles

• Munich
   

• New York
   

• Oslo
   

• Paris
   

• San Francisco
   

• Santa Barbara
   

• Sweden
   

• Silicon Valley
   

• The Netherlands
   

• Tokyo
   

• Zurich
   

Council Leadership

Committee leadership includes volunteers who commit their time, energy, and financial support to build membership in their city or country.

The Council Steering Committee

The Council Steering Committee (CSC) is a standing committee of the Board of Directors that develops guidelines and makes recommendations on best practices and procedures to strengthen the Council.

Elizabeth Cicchelli, Chicago Committee Member
Nancy Englander, Santa Barbara Committee Member
Robert Kissane, CSC Co-Chair/Board Member
Joan Platt, Board Member/California Committee North Member/WRD Advisory Committee Vice-Chair
Victoria Riskin, Board Member/Santa Barbara Committee Co-Chair
Karen Roth, Germany Council Summit Committee
Pascaline Servan-Schreiber, New York Committee Member/Paris Committee Member
Siri Stolt-Nielsen, Board Member/Oslo Ambassador/London Committee Member
Marie Warburg, Board Member/Berlin Committee Member
Catherine Zennström, CSC Co-Chair/Board Member/London Committee Member/Paris Committee Member/ ECA Advisory Committee Chair

Australia

Wendy Brooks, Co-Chair
Julian Knight, Co-Chair

Beirut

Mohamed Y. Alem, Co-Chair
Chadia El Meouchi, Co-Chair

Belgium

Janneke Dreesmann-Beerkens, Co-Chair
Christophe Tanghe, Co-Chair

Berlin

Katrin Sandman, Chair
Antonia Josten, Vice-Chair

Canada

Allan Rock, Ottawa Chair
Donna Slaight, Canada Chair

Chicago

William Mahoney, Chair
Judy Gaynor, Founding Co-Chair
Susan Manilow, Founding Co-Chair
Ellen Alberding, Chair Emerita
Elizabeth Cicchelli, Co-Chair Emerita
Margaret Duncan, Chair Emerita
Dedrea Gray, Co-Chair Emerita
Carolyn Grisko, Co-Chair Emerita
Grace Newton, Co-Chair Emerita

Frankfurt

Jan Weidner, Chair

Geneva

Neil Rimer, Chair
Loubna Freih, Vice-Chair

London

David Lakhdhir, Chair

Los Angeles

Leslie Gilbert Lurie, Co-Chair
Sid Sheinberg, Co-Chair
William D. Temko, Co-Chair
Jonathan Feldman, Vice-Chair
Jane Olson, Co-Founder
Kimberly Marteau Emerson, Co-Chair Emerita
Mike Farrell, Co-Chair Emeritus
Shari Leinwand, Co-Chair Emerita
Victoria Riskin, Co-Chair Emerita

Munich

Halldis Engelhardt, Co-Chair
Ulrike Langenscheidt, Co-Chair

The Netherlands

Glenda Nühn-Morris, Co-Chair
Peter Visser, Co-Chair
Marjan Sax, Vice-Chair
Françoise van Rappard, Vice-Chair

New York

Kristen Durkin, Co-Chair
Amy Towers, Co-Chair
Michael G. Fisch, Chair Emeritus
Kevin P. Ryan, Chair Emeritus

Oslo

Martin Traaseth, Co-Chair
Siri Stolt-Nielsen, Co-Chair

Paris

Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber, Chair
Virginie Morgon, Vice-Chair

San Francisco

Carla Emil, Chair
David Keller, Chair Emeritus
Lore H. McGovern, Chair Emeritus
Darian W. Swig, Chair Emerita
Herb Sandler, Honorary Chair

Santa Barbara

Victoria Riskin, Co-Chair
Honorable Susan Rose, Co-Chair

Silicon Valley

Sofie Vandeputte, Chair
Nancy J. Parrish, Chair Emerita
Amy Rao, Chair Emerita
Orville Schell, Chair Emeritus

Tokyo

Oki Matsumoto, Chair
Tomas Olsson, Vice-Chair
Makoto Takano, Vice-Chair
Mamoru Taniya, Vice-Chair
Kimiya Yamamoto, Vice-Chair

Zurich

Thomas W. Bechtler, Chair
Mariel Hoch, Vice-Chair

Human Rights Watch Ambassadors

Luiz Felipe d’Avila - São Paulo, Brazil
Andrea de Botton Dreesmann - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Julie de Luxembourg - Geneva, Switzerland
Hina Jilani – Lahore, Pakistan
Olfa Rambourg - Tunis, Tunisia
Uwe Reuter - Hanover, Germany
Eric Sarasin - Basel, Switzerland
Javier Solana – Madrid, Spain
Siri Stolt-Nielsen - Oslo, Norway
Ellen Susman - Houston, United States

The Council Summit

Once a year, Council members have the opportunity to attend the Human Rights Watch Council Summit. The three-day long conference provides an intensive learning experience for participants, where attendees get to know one another, meet Human Rights Watch’s expert staff and hear from prominent figures in the human rights movement. Recent Council Summits have taken place in Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Chicago.