Indian to head Amnesty International

(December 22, 2009) An Indian has been appointed the head the prestigious human rights organization, Amnesty International. On Monday Salil Shetty was appointed the next Secretary General of Amnesty International, the first Indian to the post in the organization’s 50-year history. The 48-year old Indian from Bangalore, ran British development charity ActionAid, an anti-poverty organization, for five years until 2003, when he joined the United Nations Millennium Campaign tasked with realizing the Millennium Development Goals. He succeeds Irene Khan of Bangladesh, who was the first woman, the first Asian and the first Muslim to guide Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization. After serving for eight years, Khan will step down on December 31, leaving senior director for research and regional programs Claudio Cordone to act as interim chief for six months, until Shetty takes over in June, 2010. On his appointment, Shetty said he felt privileged to be given the amazing opportunity at a time when the world needed human rights for all more than ever before. Helen Clark, the chief of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, hailed Shetty’s efforts as director of its UN Millennium Campaign, saying, “Under his leadership the UN Millennium Campaign has grown into a powerful global campaigning force supporting citizens in their efforts to hold their governments accountable for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”