ARTICLE 19 is pleased to welcome Amira El-Sayed, Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, and Atanas Politov to the organisation’s International Board of Trustees. Together, they bring valuable, wide-ranging expertise in advocacy, human rights, diversity and equality, and international law to our global, regional and thematic work.
About the new trustees
Amira El-Sayed is the Director of Global Programmes at the foundation Luminate, working to help ensure that everyone can meaningfully participate in society and challenge power.
Amira was previously Director of Programs and Strategy at Reboot, a social impact consultancy, leading its New York-based Programs Team and working to advance civic participation and social action with a variety of philanthropic, government, and private sector partners. Prior to this she worked at Transparency International (TI), focusing on the accountability of defence and security forces. Amira first led the Africa Programme and later managed an initiative to develop global norms for responsible defence governance, as well as the Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index, TI’s flagship publication on defence and security.
A former Tahrir Square activist, Amira started her career in non-profit organisations in Egypt.
She is a member of the Open Technology Fund’s Advisory Council.
‘The work of ARTICLE 19 is now more important than ever, and I am honoured to be joining the International Board of Trustees. I look forward to making a contribution, however small, to the protection of the freedoms of expression and information at this crucial time,’ says Amira.
Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond is a Zambian-British human rights practitioner with more than 25 years of experience. She currently serves as the United Nations Independent Expert on the rights of persons with albinism, a role she began in August 2021. She is also a Visiting Fellow at Staffordshire University in the UK.
Throughout her career, Muluka-Anne has held several prominent roles in the human rights sector, including as Deputy Director and Senior Programme Lawyer at the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), Regional Advocacy Director at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), and Researcher for Portuguese and Spanish-speaking African countries at Amnesty International.
Muluka-Anne holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Venda, an LLM from the University of Pretoria, and a Master of Science (MSc) in Development Management from the Open University in the UK.
‘As someone who strongly believes in the power of voices, I am excited to join the international board of ARTICLE 19,’ says Muluka-Anne. ‘Joining the board is a unique opportunity to contribute to amplifying the voices of those fighting for and demanding rights around the world. Importantly, this is an opportunity to do so based on international human rights laws and standards, and fully ensuring respect for these.’
Atanas Politov is Europe Director of Positive Impact and Pro Bono at global law firm Dentons, based in their Budapest office. He joined Dentons in September 2016 to coordinate its pro bono work across continental Europe. Atanas also headed Dentons’ Europe Diversity and Inclusion Committee and its Environmental, Social and Governance programme. Prior to this, Atanas was Director for Programs at the non-governmental organisation PILnet and was responsible for managing its pro bono and access to justice efforts globally.
Previously, Atanas developed large-scale anti-discrimination and legal aid reform projects in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, and oversaw the development of PILnet’s pro bono efforts in China, Hungary, Russia, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Poland.
‘I am thrilled to join ARTICLE 19’s International Board,’ Atanas says. ‘These are challenging times for NGOs and activists, as the role of civil society is scrutinised and questioned. We live in the era of AI, fake news and misinformation, as well as increased regional and local conflicts. In these times, upholding the freedom of expression and opinion is among the most important issues of our times and Article 19 is a key player on regional and global level.’
ARTICLE 19 and our teams are delighted to be working with Amira, Muluka-Anne, and Atanas, and look forward to their passion, commitment, and knowledge contributing to the organisation’s growth, development, and global engagement.