UNITED NATIONS: Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth today said he would step down at the end of August after running the global rights watchdog for nearly three decades.

Human Rights Watch said it will conduct an open search for a successor and that Roth’s deputy, Tirana Hassan, will serve as interim executive director of the organisation, which works to document and curtail serious rights abuses around the world.

“I had the great privilege to spend nearly 30 years building an organisation that has become a leading force in defending the rights of people around the world,” said Roth, who joined as deputy director in 1987.

During Roth’s tenure, Human Rights Watch said it grew from a staff of about 60 with a US$7 million budget, to 552 people covering over 100 countries with a nearly US$100 million budget.

Roth said he will write a book on his personal experiences about the most effective strategies for defending human rights.

He has met with more than two dozen world leaders, countless ministers and made investigative or advocacy trips to more than 50 countries while at Human Rights Watch.