Thursday 11 October 2018
07:45
Yves Daccord, Director General ICRC
Is there space for global humanitarian action in an isolationist world?
Enduring economic stagnation and increasing mistrust of politics is fuelling populism, nationalism, and cultural and religious clashes. It is indicative of increasing scepticism in government and bureaucracy among many Western democracies and youth especially.
It would be a mistake, however, to overestimate the recent surge in nationalistic sentiment across Europe and North America, as deteriorating global crises and time itself may yet provide conditions for greater institutional enforcement and legal structures at the global level.
How does the ICRC get access in a climate of mistrust and work across frontlines, armed groups, and country borders to help those most in need?
Yves is Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, a post he has held since 2010.
A former journalist, TV producer and international relations expert, his ICRC career has spanned more than two decades in a variety of posts and challenging contexts – including Israel and the Occupied Territories, Sudan, Yemen, Chechnya and Georgia.
He chaired the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) from 2015–2017 and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Overseas Development Institute.
The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence.
Yves is Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, a post he has held since 2010.
A former journalist, TV producer and international relations expert, his ICRC career has spanned more than two decades in a variety of posts and challenging contexts – including Israel and the Occupied Territories, Sudan, Yemen, Chechnya and Georgia.
He chaired the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) from 2015–2017 and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Overseas Development Institute.
