(New York) – Federico Borello, an Italian lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in human rights, civilian protection, and transitional justice, has been selected as Human Rights Watch’s new deputy executive director and chief programs officer, Human Rights Watch said today. Borello will assume the position on July 1, 2024.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Federico join Human Rights Watch as our new chief programs officer,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “He brings a wealth of experience from across the globe as well as deep knowledge and understanding of the challenges the human rights movement faces and how we can address them.”
Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Borello was the executive director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) for nearly a decade. In that capacity, he led the organization as it grew and expanded its global reach to Nigeria, Yemen, the Sahel, and Ukraine.
Prior to his work at CIVIC, Borello was the director of investments at Humanity United in Washington, DC, where he oversaw policy analysis, advocacy strategy, and grantmaking to prevent and resolve conflicts and mass atrocities. During this time he also worked as a senior policy advisor to Mary Robinson, the United Nations special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa.
His extensive human rights experience includes roles as legal adviser for the UN International Commission of Inquiry on Guinea and the UN Justice Mapping Exercise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and as coordinator for the Transitional Justice Unit at the UN Mission in the Congo. He has also worked as a senior associate at the International Center for Transitional Justice and had a host of other human rights roles focusing on Argentina, Cambodia, Rwanda, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other countries.
As Human Rights Watch’s deputy executive director and chief programs officer, Borello will oversee the organization’s programmatic work, with specific attention to its research, advocacy, communications, and legal and policy departments.
