How We're Run

Amnesty International is a global movement of people committed to human rights.

Our vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. In pursuit of this vision, our mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of these rights.

Amnesty International forms a global community of human rights defenders based on the principles of international solidarity, effective action for the individual victim, global coverage, the universality and indivisibility of human rights, impartiality and independence, and democracy and mutual respect.

Read Our global Statute

Governance

We are committed to the highest standards of governance, transparency and accountability. As the promotion and protection of human rights is not recognised as a charitable purpose under Irish law, Amnesty International cannot register as a charity in Ireland. However, in order to ensure best practice and the highest possible standards in how we raise funds for our work, we apply the principles and guidelines for best practice in fundraising activities that apply to the charity and voluntary sector. Each year, we publish our audited accounts. To ensure our independence, Amnesty International does not seek or accept funding from states for our campaigning work. Our campaigns are funded by our membership and by our fundraising efforts.  In some cases, we accept funding from philanthropic foundations, both here in Ireland and globally. We only accept funding to support public education, research and campaigning work that aligns with our human rights objectives as decided by Amnesty’s membership. We only accept corporate donations from businesses that have been carefully vetted.

The overwhelming majority of our income comes from individuals. Our members make change possible. They’re the people we call on when human rights are under attack. Their actions, big and small, put pressure on governments, institutions and decision-makers to do the right thing. Become a member today.

Amnesty International Ireland is committed to the governance standards set out in The Governance Code for the Community, Voluntary and Charitable Sector in Ireland.

Although not a charity, Amnesty International is committed to achieving the standards outlined for best practice in the Charities Regulator’s Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the public.

INGO Charter

Amnesty International is a founding signatory to the International Non-Governmental Organisations’ Accountability (INGO) Charter.  The charter commits AI and all other INGO signatories to meeting best-practice standards on public accountability and transparency, including in good governance and effective management; ethical fundraising and multi-stakeholder engagement, and the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our latest international compliance reports can be found here.

Our Constitution

National Board

FAQs

How We’re Funded

Since 1961, we’ve been helping people claim their rights across the world