Irene Khan Irene Khan took up the leadership of Amnesty International in its 40th anniversary year as the organisation began a process of change and renewal to address the complex nature of contemporary human rights violations, and confronted the challenging developments in the wake of the attacks of 11 September. Prior to joining Amnesty International, Irene worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 21 years, serving in many different parts of the world, including as Deputy Director in the Department of International Protection, Chief of Mission in India, Senior Legal Advisor for Asia and Senior Executive Officer to the High Commissioner. In 1977, she co-founded Concern Universal, a UK-based development NGO. In 2002 Irene was awarded the Pilkington "Women of the Year" award. Irene, a Bangladesh national, is a graduate of Harvard Law School, USA and the University of Manchester, UK. Author's website: Amnesty International