Amnesty International appoints S. African rights activist Kumi Naidoo its next secretary general
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Amnesty International on Thursday announced that Kumi Naidoo, a person of Indian origin and a South African human rights activist, will be its next secretary general, as informed by the human rights body on its website. Naidoo, who will take over the position from August 2018, will succeed Secretary General Salil Shetty, who has been in the position since 2010.
“His [Naidoo] vision and passion for a just and peaceful world make him an outstanding leader for our global movement, as we strengthen our resolve for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all,” said Mwikali Muthiani, chair of the Board of Amnesty International.
Shetty said it was the first time in Amnesty’s history that both secretary general and board chair were from Africa.
Naidoo has headed the Greenpeace International, Global Call for Climate Action and Global Call to Action against Poverty, among others. His job as the secretary general of the human rights body will include being the main spokesperson for the organisation and the chief executive of its International Secretariat.
“I have been an activist and campaigner all my life, so I am excited to be joining the world’s largest people movement for human rights at a time when we need to counter increasing attacks on basic freedoms and on civil society around the globe,” Naidoo said.