Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth attends a meeting. File photo

The longtime leader of Human Rights Watch announced on Tuesday he will step down this summer as executive director after nearly three decades at the helm of one of the world's leading advocacy organisations.

Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth said on Tuesday he would step down at the end of August after running the global rights watchdog for nearly three decades.

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Roth ran the New York-based group as it shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its efforts to ban anti-personnel land mines. The group also pushed to establish the International Criminal Court for prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

"I had the great privilege to spend nearly 30 years building an organization 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 $7 million budget, to 552 people covering over 100 countries with a nearly $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.