After more than 10 years of leadership in building the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ) as Canada's only organization focused on seeking redress for survivors of torture and war crimes—and conceiving of and building its social enterprise, The Philippe Kirsch Institute—first Executive Director Jayne Stoyles is moving to a new role as Executive Director of one of CCIJ's closest allies, Amnesty International Canada (English Branch). Jayne also volunteered actively in CCIJ's early years, and she will return to volunteer roles with both CCIJ and the Kirsch Institute on their respective advisory committees.
CCIJ is currently serving more than 75 survivors of torture and war trauma in their quest for justice, seeking accountability against Canadian multi-national corporations implicated in atrocities in their overseas operations, co-leading a major national project drawing together International Criminal Law practitioners from all sectors, and pursuing law reform so that foreign governments can no longer hide behind state immunity when they torture Canadians.
The Philippe Kirsch Institute, designed as an innovative way to help fund CCIJ, is now in its third year of operations, with several areas of business launched and profits increasing annually. With several former Supreme Court judges and other renowned jurists on its Faculty, the Institute has developed Canada's first on-line Certificate in International Criminal Law, and offers Expert Seminars and video materials on business & human rights, cross-border litigation, the application of international law in Canada, diversity in practice, and much more. It has also launched a Speakers' Bureau offering engaging keynotes to events and conferences.
The CCIJ Board of Directors is deeply grateful for the exceptional leadership Jayne has provided over the past ten years. She has brought a remarkable combination of innovative vision and solid daily management. She has steered CCIJ from initially being a well-intentioned and aspirational concept to now being a firmly established and well respected part of the Canadian human rights scene. The organization could not have been in more capable hands or benefited from a deeper commitment to the cause of international justice. We look forward to further collaboration and partnership with Jayne in her new role with Amnesty International.
Jayne will transition to the advisory roles in September 2016. She has been serving as both CCIJ's Executive Director and the CEO of the Institute, and for an interim period from September 2016 to July 2017 the positions will be divided into two part-time roles. A description of the part-time Interim CCIJ Executive Director position is now available online, and we invite you to circulate this within your networks. Interim CEO arrangements for the Kirsch Institute are already being instituted, and an announcement about this will be made in September.
We are so grateful for your engagement with CCIJ and the Kirsch Institute, and know that the new leadership will continue to benefit greatly from the depth of expertise in our networks.