Our members

Fellow

Federico Borello is an executive with expertise in transitional justice, protection of civilians, human rights, and conflict resolution. He served as the Executive Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) from 2014 to 2023 and previously held the position of Director of Investments at Humanity United. Federico has also worked with international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). He coordinated the Transitional Justice Unit at MONUC, the UN mission in Congo, and played various roles within the UN, including leading investigations and issuing reports. He is now Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Programs Officer. Federico holds a law degree from the University of Milan and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University in New York. He is fluent in Italian, English, French, and Spanish.

Fellow

Conor has worked for a variety of organizations including UN DPKO, UNHCR, UN-Habitat and Amnesty International, in over twenty conflict and post-conflict zones.

Fellow

Fellow

Professor Liz Griffin is an academic and practitioner with a specialization in the theory and practice of human rights. Liz is Honorary Professor, University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights.

Fellow

Dr Claire Simmons is a Fellow of the Human Rights Centre and Essex Armed Conflict and Crisis Hub. She is also Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Affairs, Faculty for the Study of Leadership, Security and Warfare at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Claire completed her PhD at the University of Essex Law School in 2021, on the independence and impartiality of military investigations into violations of international humanitarian law. She was previously a researcher in the Essex Armed Conflict and Crisis Hub, working on various projects related to international humanitarian law and human rights. She is one of the authors of the "Guidelines on Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law: Law, Policy, and Good Practice" published by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Claire has experience working on international humanitarian law and human rights in academic institutions and non-profit organisations in Thailand, France and the UK.