STP Restructures: Member Assembly Approves New Leadership Structure to Strengthen Human Rights Work

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is reorganizing its leadership structure. At the annual general meeting on Saturday, October 24, the members adopted new bylaws that provide for a full-time executive board and a volunteer supervisory board elected by the members. Sarah Reinke, Serdar Baysal, and Daniel Matt will assume responsibility as members of the executive board. They previously served collectively as the executive leadership and are replacing the volunteer executive board.

This change marks an important milestone in the history of the human rights organization, which is headquartered in Göttingen. With this reform, the STP is more clearly separating operational management from independent oversight. The full-time executive board is responsible for the organization’s day-to-day operations, while the volunteer supervisory board monitors the work of the executive board. The STP is thus establishing professional structures to address growing human rights challenges. The goal of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is to strengthen the rights of minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Together with threatened communities, it draws attention to persecution, displacement, and human rights violations and calls for their protection.

The new structure builds on the experience of the previous executive management and staff. The commitment of members, regional groups, and volunteers remains an essential foundation of our work. Their experiences and ideas will help shape the organization’s future development.

Sarah Reinke:

“The work of the STP and our commitment to those whose suffering goes unnoticed—to minorities and Indigenous Peoples—is urgently needed. Our partner organizations around the world make this abundantly clear to us. Our new leadership structure will strengthen our political human rights work and make our efforts even more effective. We will continue to stand up for the persecuted with courage, a strong voice, and perseverance.”

Daniel Matt:

“Our human rights work is becoming increasingly difficult due to disinformation and restrictions on civil society’s scope for action. At the same time, wars, displacement, and authoritarian rule threaten the rights and very existence of minorities. In the face of these challenges, we must be able to make quick decisions, work with professional expertise, and advocate effectively in public for threatened communities. As the Executive Board, this will be our priority. The perseverance of our founder, Tilman Zülch, is an important source of inspiration in this regard. We want to carry on this spirit.”

Serdar Baysal:

“Those who support us place their trust in us. We handle that trust responsibly. Especially with limited funds, we must carefully weigh our options, set priorities, and allocate our resources where they can have the greatest impact on our human rights work. In this way, we create a reliable financial foundation for our efforts on behalf of threatened people and communities.”

With this reform, the STP is renewing the organizational foundations of its work against genocide, forced displacement, and oppression. Its human rights mission and political independence remain the guiding principles. The human rights organization was founded in 1968.