Tor Hodenfield - Senior Philanthropy and Protection Lead

Before joining Front Line Defenders, Tor was managing director of the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute. He also previously served as a Human Rights Researcher for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, where he supported the mandate’s youth and child Human Rights Defenders portfolio. Additionally, Tor has worked with the Human Rights Funders Network to enhance the effectiveness of funding for civil society organisations confronting acute human rights crises and entrenched restrictions on civic space. He also previously worked as the UN Advocacy Adviser, UN Human Rights Council Coordinator, and the Vuka! Coalition Coordinator at CIVICUS, engaging on issues of civic space. Tor has also worked extensively at the national level, including supporting civil society groups in Ghana and Ethiopia. Furthermore, he has conducted strategic research on a range of rights issues, from supporting protest movements to developing protection models for child human rights defenders.