David Pereira Appointed New Director of Amnesty International Luxembourg

Amnesty International Luxembourg has announced the appointment of its new Director General, David Pereira, as of Monday 16 September 2024.

David Pereira previously served as President of Amnesty International Luxembourg and as Director of Programmes at Médecins du Monde Luxembourg. He is now in charge of the daily management of Amnesty International Luxembourg.

David Pereira has been a member of the human rights organisation since 2009, during which time he has been involved in issues concerning political refugees and asylum seekers, while remaining active with Luxembourg's refugee collective (LFR). From 2011, he served as Secretary General of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International Luxembourg before becoming its President from 2014 to 2019.

As reported by the organisation, David's "extensive" experience at Amnesty gives him "a real understanding" of the organisation's needs and culture. His professional profile, as a head nurse in the hospital field, "allowed him to become familiar with the struggle for fundamental human values ​​and equipped him with relational, managerial and communication skills".

Amnesty International Luxembourg highlighted some of the current global challenges but also those in the Grand Duchy, for example concerning the freedom of expression and protest, the "threat" to the independence of associations, begging regulations and refugee and asylum policies.

Alongside the International Secretariat, the Board of Directors, the team, volunteers and members, David Pereira expressed his desire to "strengthen the impact of Amnesty International Luxembourg in the defence of human rights and to provide the organisation with a structure that will strengthen it and prepare it for this challenge".

David also expressed his desire to "open Amnesty's doors even wider to Luxembourg society, by inviting individuals, institutions, companies and other organisations to join us in our fight for a fairer world".

The new Director also recalled that Amnesty International "is an organisation independent of any political ideology, any economic interest and any religion and its main activities [...] are financed exclusively by private donations, events or legacies". Amid the Caritas embezzlement scandal, he said he wanted to reassure Amnesty's supporters about the transparency of the funds managed by the international organisation in the Grand Duchy. He thus promised to "ensure the fundamental principles of impartiality and independence that underpin all of Amnesty's actions", and called for all kinds of support for the organisation.