By Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), July 15, 2019
Today, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) welcomes Franciscka Lucien as its new Executive Director. Franciscka succeeds Brian Concannon who informed the Board in September 2018 of his intention to step down.
“We are thrilled that Franciscka is taking the helm of IJDH. Franciscka has an impressive track record of improving access to human rights for marginalized communities in Haiti. She brings clear vision, thoughtful leadership, and a deep commitment to centering impoverished communities and their rights to the organization,” said Joia Mukherjee, Chair of the IJDH Board of Directors.
IJDH is a non-profit organization that works to catalyze stability and prosperity for the vulnerable and marginalized in Haiti through the advancement of human rights and rule of law. It was established in 2004 as the U.S. partner of the Haitian human rights legal organization Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI). Over the past 15 years, IJDH and BAI have advocated and litigated to advance accountability and recognition of human rights in Haiti, including landmark cases for transnational justice and cholera accountability, in addition to building local capacity through growing a pipeline of legal staff trained in human rights.
“We are so grateful to Brian for his decades-long commitment to justice in Haiti, and his pioneering vision to hold international actors accountable for their human rights impacts in Haiti. Brian founded IJDH as a one-person organization operating out of a spare bedroom and grew it into an organization that has made headlines and forced social change. Its strong team is well-positioned to continue IJDH’s critical work for decades” Mukherjee added.
Franciscka joins IJDH building on a career focused on the intersection of equity, health, and a rights-based approach to development. She served as Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships for Partners In Health (PIH) in Liberia, coordinating with under-served communities, non-governmental organizations, government actors, and international organizations to improve delivery of critical health services in the wake of Liberia’s Ebola epidemic.
She is a committed advocate for social justice, and brings to the role extensive experience in Haiti, where she led key projects to strengthen public delivery systems for health care, and implemented the human right to health for rural, marginalized communities with PIH, a long-time partner of IJDH.
“It is a great honor to join the talented IJDH team to advance the organization’s record of challenging inequity. Through keeping the rights of the most vulnerable at the center of its advocacy and litigation, IJDH’s innovative work has saved lives and changed policy towards marginalized communities in Haiti. I’m excited to work with colleagues to take this work forward,” said Lucien.
Concannon informed the board in September 2018 of his decision to step down after fifteen years of service since founding IJDH. He expects to remain involved with IJDH, while shifting his primary focus to sharing the lessons from the past 24 years’ work in Haiti with the broader human rights movement.
“I am gratified to turn over the leadership of IJDH to the next generation of social justice advocates, and to Franciscka’s capable hands in particular. I look forward to seeing Franciscka and the team make IJDH’s uncompromising, persistent and effective advocacy on human rights even more impactful,” said Concannon.
About IJDH: The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) is a U.S-based non-profit organization that works to advance stability and prosperity through justice. In partnership with its Haiti-based sister-organization, Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), IJDH advocates, litigates, builds constituencies and nurtures networks to create systemic pathways to justice for marginalized communities.
For more information on IJDH, visit www.ijdh.org.
Posted July 19, 2019