Greenpeace Southeast Asia has appointed Veerawit Tianchainan as its new executive director, effective 1 August.
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Tianchainan takes over from Jasper Inventor, who assumed the role temporarily, following the resignation of Naderev “Yeb” Saño in December.
A human rights advocate who has more than two decades of experience working in various roles in Southeast Asia, United States and Switzerland, Tianchainan brings a “bold and values-driven vision” to lead the organisation in confronting the climate crisis and champion environmental justice across the region, said Greenpeace in a statement.
The Thai national takes the helm at a challenging time for the non-profit. In March, a US jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims in a lawsuit brought by a pipeline company accusing the watchdog of orchestrating protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. A penalty that big was feared to bankrupt its US operations.
The green watchdog’s Southeast Asia office likewise focuses on protecting the environment and empowering local communities through advocating for a transition away from fossil fuels towards clean sources of energy, as well as promoting climate justice through legal action.
Prior to joining Greenpeace, Tianchainan was chief of party at the USAID-WWF Mekong for the Future Programme, where he led initiatives on environmental governance, community rights and natural resource protection across the Lower Mekong and wider Asean region.
He was executive director at The Freedom Story in Chiang Rai, which advocated against child trafficking, and was country director of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
He has advised the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, and the Asean Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children and the Asian Research Center for Migration.
He worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Regional Office in Thailand before founding the Thai Committee for Refugees Foundation (TCR), the country’s first nationally registered non-profit organisation dedicated to refugee protection. Under his leadership, TCR became a leading advocate for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons across the country and the region.
“We can only secure a thriving future for people and planet by standing up to unjust systems and creating bold, fair alternatives that put communities and the environment first… I’m proud to stand with Southeast Asia’s communities as we fight for environmental justice and a dignified future for all,” said Tianchainan.
