Paul O’Brien

UCD Alumni Award in Social Sciences 2025

BA Philosophy and Economics 1989

In April 2021 Paul O’Brien was appointed Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, a human rights organisation of 240,000 members and 125 staff. He had previously co-led Oxfam’s worldwide advocacy efforts during the Covid pandemic and led Oxfam America’s advocacy work with the US government and US corporations. Over his career, Paul has worked on human rights research and advocacy in more than 50 countries, including most recently Mexico, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. He lived in Africa for 10 years, working for local and international organisations, and spent five years in Afghanistan. He was previously an advisor to the President of Afghanistan, the Africa Policy Advisor for CARE, an organiser in Nairobi’s informal urban settlements, and President of Echoing Green, a global non-profit that uses venture philanthropy principles to support social entrepreneurs. Paul holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from Harvard Law School and previously worked as a litigator in New York for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. His book, Power Switch: How We Can Reverse Extreme Inequality, was published in 2020.