About
Anne Therese Gallagher AO is an Australian international civil servant, lawyer and scholar with more than three decades of senior leadership across the United Nations, the Commonwealth and global civil society. Widely recognised as the world-leading expert on the international law of human trafficking, she combines frontline policy leadership with deep academic and legal expertise.
Dr Gallagher joined the United Nations in 1992 and later served as Special Adviser to the High Commissioner for Human Rights. She went on to lead the world's largest and longest-running criminal-justice intervention against human trafficking. In 2019, she was appointed by the Commonwealth's 56 Member States as Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, completing her six-year term in late 2025.
In addition to a long-term role as Academic Adviser at Doughty St Chambers, Dr Gallagher has held senior global board leadership roles, including Chair of Girls Not Brides and President of the International Catholic Migration Commission. She is an alumna of the Australian National University and, in 2013, was appointed its inaugural Alumni of the Year.
Board leadership
- 2021 - 2024
Chair, Board of Trustees
Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, London
Led global partnership of more than 1,400 member organisations in over 100 countries. Full fiduciary responsibility under UK charity law. Oversaw comprehensive governance reform, decentralisation of the Secretariat to the regions; and diversification of the funding base.
- 2018 - 2021
President and Chair of Council and Governing Committee
International Catholic Migration Commission, Geneva
First elected woman leader of ICMC - established in 1951 to support global efforts protecting refugees, migrants and displaced persons after World War II regardless of faith, race or ethnicity.
Executive and international leadership
- 2019 - 2025
Director-General
Commonwealth Foundation, London
Appointed by the governments of the Commonwealth's 56 Member States to lead the organisation's civil society pillar and act as unofficial ambassador for the rights and interests of the Commonwealth's 2.7 billion citizens. Reappointed by Member States for a second term in 2022.
- 2003 - 2018
Senior Adviser, Technical Director and Team Leader
Australian Government (AusAID / DFAT), Southeast Asia
Developed and led the initial phase of the Australian Government's criminal justice programme against human trafficking. Continued as senior adviser, working with governments and criminal justice agencies across all ten ASEAN Member States to strengthen their laws and justice institutions.
- 1998 - 2003
Special Adviser to the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva
Led development of international legal and policy standards on trafficking, migrant smuggling and gender-based violence.
- 1992 - 1998
Legal Officer
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva
Recruited through the UN National Competitive Examination. Responsibilities included national human rights institutions; gender and the rights of women and girls; human rights in peacekeeping; human rights in criminal justice.
Advisory and academic appointments
- 2024 - present
Academic Fellow: Political and Social Sciences
Goodenough College, London
- 2025 - present
International Advisory Board
The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs
Member of the Editorial Committee, 2020 - 2025.
- 2015 - present
Academic Adviser
Doughty Street Chambers, London
- 2016 - 2020
Special Adviser to the Director-General
International Organization for Migration
- 2012 - 2017
Senior Adviser
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
- 2014 - 2017
Co-Chair, Presidential Task Force on Human Trafficking
International Bar Association
Selected scholarship
Books
Recent and forthcoming
- 'The Freedom Test: Can the Commonwealth Save Democratic Space?', Anthony Low Commonwealth Lecture, Australian National University, 30 April 2026; The Round Table (2026).
- 'Trafficking in Transnational Criminal Law', in R. Piotrowicz et al. (eds), Routledge Handbook of Human Trafficking (2nd ed., forthcoming 2027).
- Book-length study of poetry in international courts and tribunals (in preparation).
Selected articles and chapters
- 'What's Wrong with the Global Slavery Index?', 8 Anti-Trafficking Review (2017).
- 'The International Legal Definition of “Trafficking in Persons”: Scope and Application', in P. Kotiswaran (ed.), Revisiting the Law and Governance of Trafficking, Forced Labor and Modern Slavery (Cambridge University Press, 2017).
- With J. Ezeilo, 'The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons: A Turbulent Decade in Review', 37(4) Human Rights Quarterly (2015).
- With J. Chuang, 'The Use of Indicators to Measure Government Responses to Human Trafficking', in K. Davis et al. (eds), Governance by Indicators (Oxford University Press, 2012).
- With E. Pearson, 'The High Cost of Freedom: A Legal and Policy Analysis of Shelter Detention for Victims of Trafficking', 32(1) Human Rights Quarterly (2010).
- 'Human Rights and Human Trafficking: Quagmire or Firm Ground? A Response to James Hathaway', 49(4) Virginia Journal of International Law (2009).
United Nations legal texts
- Commentary to the United Nations Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking (United Nations, 2011).
- UNODC Issue Papers on the international legal definition of trafficking in persons: abuse of a position of vulnerability (2012), consent (2014), exploitation (2015) and consolidated findings (2018).
Full publication list available on request.
Honours
- 2015Centenary Peace Woman of the YearWomen's International League for Peace and Freedom
- 2013Joint inaugural Alumni of the YearAustralian National University
- 2012Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)For distinguished service to the law and human rights
- 2012Hero Acting to End Modern SlaveryUnited States Secretary of State
- 2011Certificate of Merit, Honourable MentionAmerican Society of International Law, for The International Law of Human Trafficking
- 2011Australian Freedom Award
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (International Law)University of Utrecht
- Master of International LawAustralian National University
- Bachelor of LawsMacquarie University
- Bachelor of ArtsMacquarie University
- Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors2026
- International Mediation AccreditationCentre for Effective Dispute Resolution, 2023