Jane Olson answers questions about where she hopes to take HRW during her tenure as chair of the organization's board of directors.
Visits to Yugoslavia and Bosnia during the ethnic cleansing shaped her commitment to the survival needs of women and children in wartime. More recently, Jane has worked to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa and ban landmines globally (she is also the Board Chair of the Landmine Survivors Network). Jane Olson took over from longtime Board chairman Jonathan Fanton in January 2004. In this interview, she discusses her objectives and goal of supporting the Human Rights Watch staff who inspire her.
Q. How did you decide to get involved with human rights and Human Rights Watch?
I first visited the former Soviet Union while working with an interfaith group to end the nuclear arms race. We hosted Soviet citizens in the United States and then visited the USSR. Being in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War exposed me to human rights abuses and ethnic tensions. It occurred to me that the failure to address the human rights causes of conflicts was behind much of the violence in the world.
Then, in 1989, I was asked to set up a support group for Human Rights Watch in California involving members of the legal, civil rights and human rights communities. At the time, few in California had heard about the work of Human Rights Watch. Through my involvement, I've had a chance to see personally how HRW helps to prevent human suffering by shining a light on abuses and holding perpetrators accountable. I hope that as board chair I can ensure others have a similar opportunity to know about this vital work.
Q. What are your impressions of Human Rights Watch staff?
I have always been—and remain—deeply impressed and inspired by Human Rights Watch's staff. In the early 1990s, I was spending time in New York and began regularly attending the Wednesday morning meetings to hear the reports of researchers fresh from the field, often harrowing stories of the interviews they'd done documenting abuses.
What struck me—and stayed with me—is how talented, how committed our staff are, and how great their desire to help the most vulnerable.
I've done quite a bit of international travel, with Human Rights Watch and with other humanitarian groups. So I not only understand but am sometimes in awe of the risks that our researchers face in the field.
Indeed, one of my primary motivations for taking on the Board chairmanship is so that I can work to get these brave researchers the support they need. I believe personal relationships are essential and I also plan to be as accessible and understanding of staff needs as I can.
Q. What are your objectives as Board Chair?
We've got to build on the many strengths that Human Rights Watch has. The organization has great integrity and trust in the world and today there is an ever greater need for the work we do—but we don't always have the staff to address crises or human rights problems out of the spotlight. It's my goal to help build a truly global staff and board, to attract great minds to our cause, both as staff and supporters.
