INSTITUTIONAL UPDATE - November 2011
ESCR-Net Staff Transitions
As you may know, this is a time of transition and growth for ESCR-Net with the addition of new funding and long time staff transitioning to new opportunities. As we have previously shared, Julieta Rossi is stepping down as Director after 4 and a half years with the Network and will be working with the United Nations Development Program and the government of Argentina to develop indicators for state compliance with Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) obligations. On behalf of the Board and Secretariat Staff, we would like to thank Julieta for her leadership and dedication to the Network over these last years. She has been central in moving the Network into this important phase of growth and has deepened and consolidated the current collective work. Suad Elias, former Deputy Director, will serve as Acting Director as the Director search continues. We are confident this process will be finalized soon.
Rebecca Brown, who has been with the Network since 2008 coordinating the Adjudication Working Group and the Women and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Group has been promoted to the role of Deputy Director. She will also continue to coordinate the work on Women and ESCR and serve as the liaison with the Extraterritorial Obligations Consortium. We are also pleased to announce that the new Program Officer coordinating the work of the Adjudication Working Group will be Daniela Ikawa. Daniela is a Brazilian lawyer with extensive experience working on litigation, research, and networking on human rights, including with Conectas in Brazil and the Public Interest Law Network in New York.
In addition, Nicholas Lusiani, who has been coordinating the Network’s work on Corporate Accountability and Economic Policy and Human Rights will be moving on, after four years with ESCR-Net, to a member organization, the Center for Economic and Social Rights. We would also like to thank Niko for his years of service to the Network and for sustaining and strengthening the work of ESCR-Net in these two areas. We are pleased to announce that Dominic Renfrey, who has been based in Cambodia for the past two and half years focusing on development-induced displacement with Bridges Across Borders and co-founder of the Australian Corporate Accountability Network has been confirmed as the new coordinator for these two working groups. Dom will begin working with ESCR-Net in January 2012.
With the exciting addition of new funding from the Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are in the final stages of hiring for a new position within the Network to support coordination of the NGO Coalition for the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR) and the current ratification campaign.
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