Lotte Leicht is Climate Rights International’s Advocacy Director, and is based in Brussels. Before joining CRI, Lotte was Human Rights Watch’s European Union Director from 1994 to 2021.
Lotte has had a long and very distinguished career in human rights. She is a Danish lawyer who specializes in international human rights, humanitarian, and criminal law, justice for serious international crimes, and international advocacy. She has conducted numerous human rights and humanitarian law investigations in various conflict zones around the world, and has written extensively on human rights and international justice matters. She has led successful advocacy efforts on behalf of the protection of rights, the advancement of international human rights laws and norms, and the establishment of new international, regional and national accountability and justice mechanisms. She has worked with atrocity crime survivors and others to ensure justice for grave international crimes and reparations for, and recognition of, victims.
Lotte serves as the Chairperson of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights’ board. She serves on the Heinrich Boell Foundation‘s North-South advisory board, and served on the Foundation´s membership board for eight years. She also serves on the board of the Danish Institute Against Torture (Dignity). Lotte is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Campus on Human Rights and the Right Livelihood joint project on children’s rights, climate change and justice.
Before working at Human Rights Watch, Lotte was the Program Director of the International Helsinki Federation from 1990-1994.
