Political Leaders & Opinion Shapers
Ben Affleck @BenAffleck
American actor, film director, and producer, Affleck established the Eastern Congo Initiative to support survivors of sexual violence, the reintegration of former child soldiers, and humanitarian relief. Affleck tweets extensively about the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Madeleine Albright @madeleine
Former U.S. Secretary of State, Albright has remained committed to the prevention of atrocities since leaving office. While we wish she would tweet more, Albright offers lively commentary about the dark parts of the world where civilians are suffering.
Lloyd Axworthy @lloydaxworthy
Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Axworthy is the person credited with bringing the Responsibility to Protect into existence. Like Albright, he does not tweet as much as we would like, but remains an important person to follow and read his comments on where #R2P should be acted upon.
David Cameron @David_Cameron
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he is one of the most followed political leaders on Twitter. Cameron often shares information on foreign policy and is best known for highlighting the plight of Tamil civilians in northern Sri Lanka.
Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton
Former U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton was America’s top diplomat and remains an outspoken advocate online. While she only recently joined Twitter, humanitarians and human rights types follow her every tweet.
Irwin Cotler @IrwinCotler
Canadian Member of Parliament who served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Cotler is a renowned expert on human rights law, and is outspoken on issues related to genocide prevention, the Responsibility to Protect, anti-Semitism, racism, and Iran. He also headed the Canadian delegation to the Stockholm International For the Prevention of Genocide.
Paul Dewar @PaulDewar
Canadian Member of Parliament, Official Opposition critic for Foreign Affairs and former Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity. Dewar’s Twitter feed covers the UN Arms Treaty, the need to regulate the use of conflict minerals and Canada’s response to humanitarian crises.
Mia Farrow @MiaFarrow
Actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Farrow is a high-profile human rights activist raising awareness about victims of conflict, including children in war-torn countries, especially in Africa. One of the most prolific celebrities who uses Twitter to mobilize the public to care about humanitarian issues.
Peter Gabriel @itspetergabriel
English singer-songwriter, musician and former member of Genesis, Gabriel is also a humanitarian advocate who created the NGO WITNESS.
He tweets with passion and consistency on the conflict in Syria to support human rights organizations such as Amnesty International. If only all musicians were created equal.
Bianca Jagger @BiancaJagger
Nicaraguan-born human rights advocate who serves as Council of Europe Ambassador, Jagger set up her own human rights foundation. Tweeting in English and Spanish, Jagger is a true humanitarian who understands Twitter can be harnessed for humanity’s benefit.
John McCain @SenJohnMcCain
Outspoken US Senator and former Republican presidential nominee, he is the leading American senator calling for US military action in Syria to protect civilians. Added bonus of following him: he occasionally gets into direct Twitter fights with Vladimir Putin.
Edward McMillan Scott @emcmillanscott
Vice-president of the European Parliament for Democracy & Human Rights, and Transatlantic Relations, McMillian Scott is followed on Twitter for his advocacy on human rights and for championing a larger humanitarian role for the European Union on the world stage.
David Miliband @DMiliband
Former British Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Miliband is now President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s most prominent humanitarian relief agencies. He tweets “loudly” on humanitarian and refugee crises where his NGO operates.
Kenneth Roth @KenRoth
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Roth is an outspoken Twitter user who seeks to exert pressure on governments and policymakers, and exposing systematic human rights abuses. His Twitter account makes certain governments tremble.
Marietje Shaake @MarietjeSchaake
Dutch Politician and Member of European Parliament who serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Shaake Tweets in Dutch and English and focuses on atrocities committed in Syria to early warning signals which include the intimidation of journalists working to expose right violations in the Middle East.
Anne Marie Slaughter @SlaughterAM
Former director of policy planning for the U.S. State Department and current president and CEO of the New American Foundation, Slaughter is a must follow for anyone interested in international affairs. She is the ultimate foreign policy wonk whose Twitter feed constantly touches upon the intersection of geopolitics and human security.
Javier Solana @javiersolana
Former Foreign Minister of Spain and former European Union’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Solana brings a wealth of experience to the twittersphere. He tweets in Spanish and English on security and defense matters that often reflect a concern for the protection of human rights.
Herman Van Rompuy @euHvR
President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium, Van Rompuy is an avid tweeter and traveller. Foreign policy and security are two of his favourite subjects and recently he has shared his thoughts on instability in Mali and Ukraine, children in armed conflict, and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.