Nicholas Howen

Nicholas Howen "is a jurist with a comprehensive knowledge of international human rights law and more than twenty years of wide-ranging and practical human rights experience with leading non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and governments. He has led and represented organizations at the global level and in the field, notably in Asia-Pacific, Africa and Europe.

"Immediately prior to assuming the office of Secretary General of the ICJ in April 2004, Mr. Howen was based in Bangkok as the first Asia-Pacific Regional Representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. From 1998-2000 he led the Human Rights Division of the United Nations peace-keeping operation in Angola.

"During the 1990s he was chief legal counsel at Amnesty International, where he headed the International Secretariat's Legal and International Organisations Programme for four years after holding the position of legal adviser on Asia-Pacific and Europe for three years.

"Mr. Howen has also worked as an international human rights law consultant based in Asia and then Europe, writing on international human rights issues and working with United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and development cooperation agencies. He is the co-founder and former co-director of the Tibet Information Network." 


 * Secretary General, International Commission of Jurists