Gail Davidson | Board of Directors

Gail Davidson believes ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’ For the past 20 years, she has worked to promote improved understanding and enforcement of international human rights law. She was the founder in 2000 and, until 1 June 2020, the Executive Director, of LRWC. In 2001, she co-founded with Professor Michael Mandel, Lawyers against the War, to oppose war, promote peace and encourage accountability for war crimes. She has authored, co-authored and edited hundreds of communications about international human rights and humanitarian law directed at decision makers, human rights defenders, victims and suspected perpetrators of violations. These communications include: amicus briefs to international, regional and domestic tribunals, factums; reports to the UN bodies (the Human Rights Council, Special Procedures, Treaty Monitoring bodies and the UN Security Council)l guides and books on international law rights guarantees; and communications to government officials in dozens of countries. She has spoken, made presentations and/or organized education events in Cameroon, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. She received the UBC Great Trekker Award in 2004, the Courage in Law Award from the UBC Indigenous Law Students’ Association in 2013 and was appointed as the Grace MacInnis Visiting Scholar by the SFU Institute for the Humanities in 2016. Gail is a (retired status) member of the Law Society of BC. She practiced first criminal and then family law for almost two decades before entering the field of international human rights.