Thank you for joining us this year for Amnesty’s
Our 2025 Annual General Meeting took place in Toronto from June 5 to June 8, 2025. This important gathering brought together staff, members, activists, and our Board to reflect on our impact and look ahead to the urgent challenges facing human rights in Canada and around the world.
Throughout the event, we stood in solidarity and creatively imagined the future of our movement. By working together to strategically plan how we meet, engage, and organize, we took meaningful steps toward strengthening our collective efforts and advancing our goals.
Date
June 5–8, 2025
Location
“The George”
George Brown College Residence & Conference Centre
80 Cooperage St
Toronto ON, M5A 0J3
Please reach out to members@amnesty.ca if you have any questions or concerns.
The 2025 Youth Leadership Summit
9:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT
Annual General Meeting
2:00 – 9:00 pm EDT
Annual General Meeting
9:00 am – 8:30 pm EDT
Annual General Meeting
9:00 am – 2:30 pm EDT
Make sure your membership is up to date! Only Amnesty members are eligible to move and second resolutions, run for election, nominate candidates and vote in the election. Your membership must start 30 days prior to the Annual General Meeting to participate in governance activities.
Resolutions, including amendments to the By-laws or Standing Orders, may be submitted by any member of the Branch and by the Board of Directors (in accordance with Article 6.05 c of By-law No. 1). View our Resolution Guidelines for more details.
Find out more about the nomination process to become an elected member of Amnesty Canada’s Board of Directors. If you would like to request a Nomination Form or more information about board positions, please get in touch with the Board Nominations Committee.
We are excited to announce our new Board Members. Please follow the link below to see our new Board Chair and Directors.
At this pivotal moment, we need strong, visionary leaders to join our Board of Directors and Global Delegation. The world is at a crossroads, and Amnesty’s work is more critical than ever. We are looking for passionate individuals with leadership, governance, and nonprofit experience who want to make a tangible impact in shaping our human rights movement in Canada.
By stepping into a leadership role, you will:
Date
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Time
7:00–8:30PM EDT
What to Expect
Get your questions answered and hear from current and former Board members and Global Delegation representatives about how strong governance enables Amnesty to create meaningful change.
2-year term
1 position available
2-year term
4 positions available
(at least 1 position must be held by a youth candidate, aged 18-24)
1-year term
1 position available
1-year term
1 position available
(must be held by a youth candidate, aged 18-24)
The Nominations Committee encourages members to take the time to review all the candidates answers to make an informed decision on who to vote for at the Annual General Meeting. A written and video introduction are included below and the responses to the competency survey’s additional questions from nominated candidates will be sent to members separately.
For more than 20 years, the Human Rights College for Youth (HRC) has launched young activists and shaped how youth engage in Amnesty’s governance, campaigns, and leadership. Our Activism Team has trained and connected generations of youth leaders who have gone on to lead human rights initiatives, influence decision-making, and drive real change.
The Youth Leadership Summit 2025 was a reimagined version of the Human Rights College designed to:
Current youth leaders, youth and student group representatives, and emerging activists from the Greater Toronto Region are invited. We’ll do our best to ensure regional diversity! The Summit will be youth-led, with a planning team comprising youth leaders and Amnesty’s Activism Team.
Timely emails with how you can take action to protect human rights.
Inspiring stories and photos showing how your support is changing lives.
Help shape the future of Amnesty by contributing your ideas and views.
You must formally notify us of your choice to become a member and make a financial contribution of any amount at least 30 days before the Annual General Meeting. You will then have the right to vote in elections for board members and on resolutions.
Supporters are those who contribute financially or who take action with Amnesty. This could be anyone from a monthly donor to an online petition-signer.
Supporters are those who contribute financially or who take action with Amnesty. This could be anyone from a monthly donor to an online petition-signer.
Board Chair
Current term concludes June 2025
Agapi Gessesse is a powerful, influential and fearless changemaker. For more than a decade, Agapi has worked to enhance the lives of marginalized youth through her work with Toronto Community Housing and United Way Greater Toronto. She is currently the Executive Director of the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals.
Vice-Chair
Current term concludes June 2026
Geneviève Thériault-Lachance is a lawyer based in Quebec that specializes in corporate accountability. She is particularly interested in corporate ethics and the connection between corruption and human rights violations.
Treasurer
Current term concludes June 2025
Fariha has over a decade of management and technology consulting experience, during which time she strategized, designed, and developed actionable solutions to global and emerging challenges in the public, private, and social sectors.
Director
Current term concludes June 2026
Aisha Ryan is an experienced human rights researcher and consultant currently based in Islamabad where she designs and implements development projects across Pakistan. She has worked on social impact and human rights projects in Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Guinea, Senegal, and Australia.
Director
Current term concludes June 2027
Declan Sander is a finance student at the University of Calgary and co-founder of BirchBark Health, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to culturally safe healthcare in rural Indigenous communities through data infrastructure and local capacity building.
Director
Current term concludes June 2027
Haris Ahmad is a medical student at Toronto Metropolitan University and a long-time advocate for equity, youth empowerment, and human rights. An immigrant and community builder, Haris brings over a decade of grassroots organizing and nonprofit governance experience to the board.
Director
Current term concludes June 2027
With over two decades of involvement in Amnesty International, Lana brings deep experience in governance, strategic leadership, and people-centered activism. Having served in a variety of roles—including Director-at-Large, Board Chair, and Global Assembly Chair—Lana has consistently demonstrated the ability to lead through complexity with a steady hand.
Director
Current term concludes June 2026
Laurin Liu was a Canadian Member of Parliament between 2011-2015 and served as the youngest female Parliamentarian in Canadian history. For years, she has also worked for international philanthropies and NGOs, where she has played a behind-the-scenes role in strategic communications.
Director
Current term concludes June 2026
Saad Hammadi has served in leadership positions of international media and human rights organizations during more than two decades of his professional experience. He is the Policy and Advocacy Manager and a Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, where he manages among others the case studies of human rights implications in technology governance.
Director
Current term concludes June 2027
Vanessa Dib is an activist with Amnesty Canada, specifically a member of the Refugee Migrants Group. She has a background in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in development studies from the University of Cambridge.
