Amnesty International UK’s director Kate Allen is to retire after 21 years leading the human rights charity.

Since joining the charity as director in 2000, Allen has been involved in a research mission to Egypt following its revolution in 2011.

She has also worked in Afghanistan, Kenta, Israel and Palestine on human rights issues.

Her previous roles included deputy chief executive of the Refugee Council and a secondment to the Home Office, where she worked on the 1999 Asylum and Immigration Act.

Allen had planned to leave last year but delayed her retirement to maintain stability at the charity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With a pathway out of lockdown well and truly on the horizon, she has revived her plans to wind down after a successful and important career at the helm of the UK arm of the world’s leading human rights organisation,” said the charity.

After 21 years at the helm of Amnesty International UK @KateAllenAI has announced her retirement. pic.twitter.com/y3u4CtuDjw

— News From Amnesty (@NewsFromAmnesty) March 27, 2021

In a joint statement Amnesty International UK Section Board chair Eilidh Douglas and chair of the charity’s section charitable trust Nicolas Patrick said: “Among her many achievements, she has created a home for human rights in London, strengthened the participation of children and young people in our work and increased the scale and reach of the human rights movement in the UK.”

They added: “We wish to thank Kate for her many years of dedicated service to Amnesty UK and to the global Amnesty movement, and wish her a well-deserved happy retirement.”

Allen said that during her time at the charity she has “seen so much positive change for human rights, met so many committed and inspiring people and I know that our global movement for human rights is in a stronger place now than when I joined it 21 years ago”.

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