AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CANADIAN SECTION (ENGLISH SPEAKING)
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Board of Directors and Global Delegation
Amnesty International Canadian Section (English-Speaking) is seeking interested and qualified individuals to join our Board of Directors and to do the important governance work that keeps the organization healthy and able to carry out its human rights work.
We are also seeking qualified candidates to participate in Amnesty’s global governance structures as a member of our 2025 Global Assembly Delegation.
For all roles, we are seeking individuals who bring a deep and abiding commitment to tackling systemic issues affecting marginalized communities with a specific lens of anti-racism, anti-oppression, feminism, intersectionality, decolonization, and accessibility through their governance contributions.
Positions Open for Nomination (please note that these are volunteer positions, and all applicants must be registered Amnesty International members to be elected to these positions.)
Board of Directors (6 positions)
- Vice-Chair – 1 position – 2-year term
- Treasurer – 1 position – 2-year term
- Board Directors – 4 positions – 3 positions with a 2-year term & 1 position with a 1-year term
Please note that to best reflect our national reach of our organization, we are particularly interested in candidates who live outside of urban Ontario.
Global Assembly (1 position):
- 2025 Global Assembly Member Delegate – 1 position – 1-year term
For your reference,
here is the Global Assembly schedule previously circulated to members. In addition to the 1 elected position for the global delegate, the Board will appoint an additional youth delegate separately from this nomination process.
Detailed descriptions of each position and the necessary qualifications are available here
About the Board
Amnesty International Canada’s Board of Directors is made up of 10 elected members who volunteer their time to service as fiduciaries who steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as making sure AICS(ES) has adequate resources to advance its mission.
The Board monitors progress towards our strategic plan, approves the allocation of resources, and provides oversight to the work of senior management to ensure our objectives are implemented and finances are appropriately managed. The Board also provides governance to the organization, leadership, and direction through the year and implementing decisions made by the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
The Board is also responsible for participating in global governance and ensuring our section is complying with global policies and working in alignment with the global movement’s strategic goals and priorities.
Much of the Board’s work is done between Board meetings through committees and working groups, some of which include staff and other members and supporters.
About the Global Assembly
The Global Assembly, or "GA", is Amnesty International's highest decision-making body and is the international equivalent to our Annual General Meeting (AGM). The GA is held annually and includes delegates from AI Sections and Structures around the world.
The Member Delegate will work with, prepare for, and attend the 2025 GA with the Amnesty Canada delegation, including preparation for the Amnesty International Regional Forum that will take place in the spring of 2025 prior to the GA in the fall.
As the Global Member Delegate will be representing Amnesty International Canada (English Speaking) on the international level, it is vital for applicants to have a deep understanding of Amnesty’s work and experience within our movement.
Nominations Process, Deadlines and Contact Information
Amnesty International Canadian Section (English Speaking) operates as democratic association where its members vote for their governance leadership on the Board of Directors and Global Delegation. To have your name on the ballot form, and partake in the election, it is required that you are a member of the organization. To become a member you must have donated any amount, even $1 is fine, to Amnesty this year and have informed us of your choice to join. More information can be found here: https://my.amnesty.ca/AGM/AGM/MembersInfo.aspx
All members interested in applying for the Board of Directors or Global Delegation must fill out the nominations form on or before 12 APRIL, 2024.
Upon receiving all applications, the Nominations Committee will interview candidates that it determines to be eligible and qualified to serve on the Board or as a Member Delegate to the Global Assembly. These interviews will occur in the last 2 weeks of April 2024. One month prior to the election, the committee will produce a report and recommend a list of candidates to the electorate based on skill gaps, relevant experience, and other diversity and inclusion factors. Members will be able to review the Nominations Committee’s report and decide to vote for any eligible candidate.
To introduce eligible candidates to our membership, a virtual question and answer session between candidates and Amnesty members will occur Sunday 2 JUNE 2024 at 12pm EST.
This year's Annual General Meeting is being held on-line on Sunday 9 JUNE 2024. Attending the AGM is encouraged but not mandatory for candidates.
Should you have any questions, please reach out to nominations@amnesty.ca.
About Us
Amnesty International is a movement of 10 million ordinary people in more than 150 countries who come together to achieve extraordinary results in defending and promoting human rights. We get discriminatory laws changed and prisoners of conscience released. We’ve helped stop torture, commute death sentences and worked to end violence against women. We are in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples demanding that their rights be respected.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, Decolonization, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Amnesty International Canadian Section (English Speaking) prides itself in being an anti-racist organization. It welcomes and encourages applications from members of equity seeking groups including women, transgender, non-binary, and LGBTI individuals; First Nations, Metis, and Inuit individuals, persons with disabilities, and members of racialized and marginalized groups. We believe our work is stronger when it benefits from the experience, knowledge and wisdom of people who have faced systemic barriers and encourages applications from qualified candidates who have lived experience as a member of historically underrepresented communities.
AICSES values qualified diverse candidates who bring skills that contribute to our anti-racist and anti-oppression transformational journey. At AICSES, everyone is expected to contribute to an inclusive environment and bring the knowledge, experience, and ability to incorporate anti-racism, anti-oppression, intersectionality, gender mainstreaming, inclusion, and accessibility practices to external and internal work and to all interpersonal interactions.