Human Rights Watch’s new chief returns to steady ship in a ‘perfect storm’
By Amy Fallon // 11 March 2026
Philippe Bolopion is returning to lead Human Rights Watch at a time which he described as “a perfect storm for the human rights movement.”
With democratic freedoms declining globally and geopolitical tensions rising, the longtime HRW insider said the organization must refocus on its core mission at a moment when “the entire human rights project is in peril.”
Bolopion, 52, first began his career as a journalist covering the United Nations during the optimistic early 2000s.
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
About the author
Amy Fallon@amyfallon
Amy Fallon is an Australian freelance journalist currently based in Uganda. She has also reported from Australia, the U.K. and Asia, writing for a wide range of outlets on a variety of issues including breaking news, and international development, and human rights topics. Amy has also worked for News Deeply, NPR, The Guardian, AFP news agency, IPS, Citiscope, and others.
Search for articles
Most Read
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5