The APT team and Board say goodbye to Audrey Olivier Muralt, Deputy Secretary General, and we thank her for her dedication and her contribution to the development of the organisation and to advances in torture prevention worldwide. Before joining the Management team in August 2018, Audrey led APT’s Regional Office for the Americas, based in Panama, from 2015 to 2018 and contributed to OPCAT implementation in Latin America. We share her farewell message and wish her all the best for the future.
Dear partners, colleagues and friends,
As some of you may know, I have had time away from the office this year to rest, recharge and reset. I am very grateful for the support I received during this time from the APT team and Board. Rest is often overlooked in our sector but it provided me with valuable time to pause and reflect. After more than a decade working for the APT, I have decided it is time to take on new challenges.
As I look back, I take pride in what the APT has achieved as a global team. We launched a new strategic plan, accompanied with an organizational transformation; designed and launched a new torture prevention learning platform to make knowledge accessible to a wider audience; supported and led efforts to finalise and build international support for the Méndez Principles on Effective Interviewing; launched the #SafeInCustody partnerships with civil society organisations in South East Asia; continued supporting detention monitors and justice actors in Latin America, Europe and Africa, with a focus on promoting gender-sensitive approaches within criminal justice systems, all the while dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19. And so much more.
One of the most satisfying aspects of my time with the APT has been the opportunity to work with partners across all regions, listening to your successes and challenges, and supporting your efforts. I have witnessed that change is possible, and is so often the result of the commitment and resilience of amazing people, working together, from different sectors.
Over the years, I have learned that torture prevention requires dedication and persistence. It also requires innovation, critical thinking, collaboration, pragmatism and localised solutions. I am leaving the APT but remain a passionate supporter of the organisation and the global torture prevention movement. I am grateful and honored to have worked by your side all these years.
In solidarity,
Audrey Oliver-Muralt