Standing With Victims and Defenders: My Commitment as OMCT’s New Secretary General

When I think about what drew me to the OMCT, it comes down to a conviction I have carried throughout my career: that no work is more urgent than standing beside those who defend human dignity, often at great personal risk. OMCT has always embodied that commitment: a movement rooted in the courage of survivors and the determination of human rights defenders. To be asked to lead it is a profound honour, and a responsibility I take up with deep commitment.

I take on this mandate from Gerald Staberock, who served as OMCT's Secretary General for sixteen years, a period marked by the significant expansion and internationalisation of the organisation's secretariat.

The opportunity to work alongside the SOS-Torture Network, and OMCT friends and partners, is exactly the kind of collective endeavour that gives me confidence in what we can achieve together.

A world under pressure

We start this new chapter at a decisive moment for human rights. Authoritarian narratives are on the rise, security measures increasingly overreach, and civic space is shrinking at a pace we have rarely seen. Facts are contested and fundamental principles are openly challenged. In this environment, strong, courageous and reliable alliances are a necessity, and OMCT, with its principled voice, its network-driven model and its ability to act in the most sensitive contexts, is built precisely for this moment.

The power of our partnerships

Our 2025–2029 strategy gives us a clear direction, and the SOS-Torture Network, the heart of a truly global anti-torture movement, gives us the collective strength to pursue it. That strength is multiplied through the coalitions we help drive forward: the United Against Torture Consortium, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and ProtectDefenders.eu. Together, these partnerships allow us to turn local realities into global action.

2026 in motion: milestones so far

This year already offers powerful proof of what our movement can do. In June, we launched, together with partners, the new edition of our Global Torture Index, now documenting the risk of torture in 39 countries, with more to be added in 2027, a key tool for holding power to account through rigorous, evidence-based work. And in December, we will relaunch our Faces of Hope campaign, pressing for the release of human rights defenders who have been unjustly detained. It builds on our SOS-Defenders platform, established in late 2024, which documents the cases of defenders arbitrarily deprived of their liberty. These initiatives, designed to become reference tools, alongside our continued crisis response and advocacy, reflect both the breadth of our work and the people at its centre.

Charting the path ahead

My vision for OMCT is of a movement that is even more connected, more visible and more effective, amplifying local voices so they are heard where decisions are made, and ensuring that our collective expertise translates into concrete protection for victims and defenders. Under my leadership, "working together" will mean more than coordination. It will mean shared commitment: listening first, sharing knowledge, learning opportunities and resources, and building the sustainability that allows all of us to keep going for the long term.

The challenges ahead are real, but so is our shared capacity to meet them. Let us move forward together with courage, with solidarity, and with an unshakeable commitment to upholding human rights and human dignity, and to a world free from torture.

In solidarity,

Stéphanie David

Secretary General, OMCT