Roy W. Brown

Roy W. Brown, born in London on November 2, 1937, is a British engineer, humanist, and human rights activist. Educated at the Martin School and The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, he pursued engineering at the University of London. His early career involved developing electronic systems with ITT and monitoring systems for the Test Ban Treaty at the UK Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. After emigrating to Canada, he worked on airborne radar and navigation systems before returning to the UK to pioneer Computer Aided Design with Racal Research. In 1976, he co-founded Metier Management Systems, which developed the commercially successful relational database system Artemis. In 1984, Brown moved to the Netherlands and co-founded the World Population Foundation (WPF) to promote family planning and address population growth issues. WPF became a significant advocacy organization, playing a role in the International Conference on Population and Development and the formation of Eurongo. In 1999, he co-founded the International Foundation for Population and Development in Switzerland, which launched the WIN program in India, providing healthcare and education. Brown became active in the humanist movement after 1999, serving as president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) from 2003 to 2006. During his tenure, he updated the Amsterdam Declaration and initiated a decentralization process within IHEU. He also served as IHEU's Main Representative at the UN in Geneva, advocating on issues such as Female Genital Mutilation, the plight of Dalits, and freedom of expression. In 2006, he led the 'A Vision for Europe' campaign, advocating for a secular and Enlightenment-based 'Brussels Declaration' as an alternative to the 'Berlin Declaration'. He has received several awards, including the Council for Secular Humanism 'Distinguished Humanists' award and the IHEU Distinguished Service to Humanism award.