Daniela Gavshon

Daniela Gavshon is the Australia director at Human Rights Watch. She leads the organization’s engagement with the Australian government on foreign and domestic policy.

Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, she spent ten years working at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre where she founded the Truth and Accountability program. There, she led human rights and war crimes investigations and a landmark project mapping laws and policies affecting First Nations people in Australia.

From 2009-2012, Daniela was the Solomon Islands Head of Office for the International Center for Transitional Justice where she advised and supported the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In addition, Daniela has held positions in the Australian government foreign aid portfolio and with UN Women working on women, peace and security.

She is an adjunct lecturer at the University of New South Wales. 

Daniela holds degrees in law and arts from the University of Sydney and obtained a master’s in international humanitarian law from the Geneva Academy on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. She is the Secretary of the International Bar Association’s War Crimes Committee, and is on the Advisory Committee of the Australian Human Rights Institute at the University of New South Wales.