Secretary General and CEO, @IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)
Joined October 2010
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May 18
The latest outbreak of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a serious concern.
With the existing emergency appeal the @IFRC is actively supporting the local response of the DRC Red Cross to strengthen safe and dignified burials, and risk communication and community engagement, while mobilising volunteers to counter misinformation and strengthen community trust.
At the same time, Safe and Dignified Burial (SDB) kits are on the way to Ituri via the Entebbe corridor from IFRC logistics hub in Dubai. Additional kits are being mobilized from Kinshasa to the affected area, together with vehicles and additional quantities of personal protective equipment.
We have also deployed experienced experts to complement the national efforts.
We are using the approach that has worked so successfully in previous outbreaks: “as local as possible, as international as necessary.”
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One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.
On World Blood Donor Day, we are reminded that one of the most powerful acts of humanity can begin with a single donation. One blood donation can save up to three lives, and behind each donation is a person choosing to help someone they may never meet.
The @IFRC supports Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in delivering and promoting safe, sustainable blood programmes around the world. Through their work, National Societies and volunteers help mobilize donors, strengthen community trust, and support access to safe blood when and where it is needed.
On today’s #WorldBloodDonorDay, I pay tribute to blood donors everywhere, and to our IFRC network teams and countless volunteers whose commitment makes a profound difference in people’s lives.
Donate blood. Save lives.
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A remarkable humanitarian milestone, and a powerful story of humanity in action.
The delivery of one million tons of aid to Gaza through Egypt reflects 979 days of sustained commitment, coordination and solidarity. Behind every convoy are thousands of Egyptian Red Crescent @EG_Red_Crescent volunteers and staff, working alongside authorities, partners and the wider humanitarian community to bring life-saving assistance to people in Gaza.
Behind every ton is a human story.
At the @IFRC, we are proud to stand with the Egyptian Red Crescent and Palestine Red Crescent and deeply grateful for their tireless service. But it also reminds us that the needs in Gaza remain immense. Sustained assistance, protection and support are still urgently needed.
This is not a story of logistics. It is a story of humanity. This week, we at @EG_Red_Crescent marked a historic humanitarian milestone,as one million tons of aid delivered to #Gaza through #Egypt representing one of the largest continuous humanitarian response operations in the world in recent years dedicated to a single humanitarian crisis.
Behind this milestone stand 979 days of humanitarian action, hundreds of aid convoys, tens of thousands of aid trucks, and thousands of Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers and staff working tirelessly to deliver life saving assistance.
As the national mechanism for coordinating humanitarian aid into Gaza, the Egyptian Red Crescent has led this effort alongside Egyptian authorities and local and international partners.
Behind every ton is a human story.
Behind every convoy is solidarity.
Behind every truck is hope.
It is a testament to the power of humanity in action.
Yet ,the humanitarian needs in Gaza remain immense, and millions continue to rely on sustained assistance, protection, and support.
@ifrc @ICRC @UNOCHA_ar @UNEgypt
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Jun 13
I am deeply appalled by the killing of Ahmed Yaqoub Othman, a volunteer of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, who lost his life on 10 June 2026 on the outskirts of El Obied City, North Kordofan, while providing first aid to people injured in earlier attacks.
Ahmed was serving his community with courage and humanity when he was killed. I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones, and to his colleagues across the Sudanese Red Crescent Society.
Humanitarian personnel must be respected and protected so they can carry out their life‑saving work safely.
Our statement. 👇
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Jun 11
As I leave Afghanistan today, I carry the weight of what I witnessed: families uprooted, livelihoods collapsing, climate shocks hitting harder each year, and women and children bearing the heaviest burden.
But I also saw hope — in the courage of Afghan Red Crescent volunteers and IFRC teams who show up every day for the communities— and that’s exactly where we must focus our efforts. Stronger health systems, safer shelters, and real support for people living in vulnerable settings can’t wait.
The @IFRC Network is ready to do more, but we need lasting global solidarity. Afghanistan’s people deserve action at scale - before hardship gets even worse.
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Jun 11
At the @IFRC, we know migration does not start at the border and neither should support.
According to @Refugees Global Trends Report released today, 1 in 70 people worldwide is forcibly displaced. Even if numbers have declined for the first time in a decade, 117.8M people remain uprooted.
The IFRC Global Migration and Displacement Platform strengthens a comprehensive approach, supporting people before, during and after their journeys: from origin, through transit, to destination and return.
Because wherever they are, and wherever they are going, people on the move deserve dignity, protection and opportunity. aje.news/bctnna via @AJEnglish
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Jun 10
El Niño is a warning we cannot ignore.
For communities in Madagascar and across Africa, it can mean droughts, floods, lost livelihoods and rising food insecurity.
Early warnings must lead to early action. Through locally led anticipatory action, we can protect lives before crises become disasters.
This is at the heart of Early Warnings for All, where the @IFRC leads on preparedness to respond to warnings. #ElNiño
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As the Ebola outbreak has spilled over to Uganda and there is risk in neighbouring countries, the epidemics has taken a regional scale. Local Red Cross teams, supported by the @IFRC, are drawing on years of local and regional experience to deliver aid safely.
The @IFRC Emergency Appeal for 29 million Swiss Francs will help support the scale-up of community engagement, surveillance, safe and dignified burials, infection prevention, as well as cross-border coordination and readiness activities.
Help us make a difference: bit.ly/4xjmCPW
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Following the strong earthquake affecting parts of Mindanao, the Philippine Red Cross @philredcross has rapidly mobilized emergency teams, ambulances, rescue assets, and life-saving services to support affected communities.
Response efforts include first aid, health services, evacuation support, search and rescue, psychosocial support, and rapid assessments. The @IFRC Philippines Country Delegation and Asia Pacific Regional Office are closely coordinating with @philredcross.
An @IFRC_DREF allocation is under consideration to support immediate response operations.
Our thoughts are with those impacted by this disaster. The @IFRC stands ready to support response efforts as needs evolve.
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A devastating 7.8 earthquake has struck Mindanao, Philippines. Lives lost, communities shaken, families displaced. The @philredcross is on the ground—saving lives, providing relief, and supporting evacuation. The @ifrc stands in solidarity and ready to mobilize global support if necessary. @sanjeevkafley @AJMatheou
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Not every disaster makes global headlines. But for the communities affected, the impact is devastating. That is why @IFRC_DREF matters, getting funds directly to local actors - both before and after a crisis strikes.
Anchored in the @IFRC’s Renewal, the IFRC-DREF 2026 Plan sets out how we will strengthen anticipatory action, accountability, operational quality and impact.
At a time of rising needs and shrinking resources, we must work smarter and ensure no community facing disaster is ignored.
I invite you to read our IFRC-DREF 2026 Plan: bit.ly/3RztLvc
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Deeply shocked by the attack on Red Cross volunteers carrying out a safe and dignified burial operation in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 1 June 2026, as part of efforts to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
We strongly condemn this violence and stand in solidarity with the affected volunteers and their families. Humanitarian workers must be respected and protected at all times.
I call for respect, acceptance and support for volunteers working on the frontlines of the Ebola response.
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Climate environmental crises are humanitarian crises. They threaten humanity now and in the future.
On today's #WorldEnvironmentDay, I reflect on the responsibility we all share to support people living in vulnerable countries, as well as to protect nature and biodiversity, which are constantly under threat.
We must ensure that all our responses and activities adopt a climate- and environmentally-friendly approach, prioritizing nature-based solutions where appropriate.
This is precisely the spirit behind the Climate Action Summit, Local, Everywhere, which the @IFRC and the @RCClimate will host this September elevating the communities leading climate action and accelerating locally led solutions at scale.
We must act urgently. Together. 👉solferinoacademy.com/local-e…
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In an Ebola outbreak, every safe and dignified burial can help break a chain of transmission.
The @IFRC has delivered a critical shipment of Safe and Dignified Burial (SDB) kits and body bags to Bunia, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak continues to claim lives and strain fragile health systems. The shipment contained 13 SDB kits, supporting approximately 300 safe and dignified burials.
Our Red Cross volunteers are working in extraordinarily difficult conditions. Getting these supplies to our teams in eastern DRC is a race against the virus.
The IFRC calls on donors and partners to support our regional emergency appeal. 👉ifrc.org/press-release/ifrc-…
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The @IFRC Governing Board came together to honor the fallen volunteers and staff of our Red Cross and Red Crescent family.
In the first five months of 2026, 18 volunteers and staff from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have already lost their lives.
One life lost is far too many. We must #ProtectHumanity.
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The first time I presented my report to the @IFRC Governing Board was at its 41st session. Today, we are at the 55th.
Yet today, the world is not just in crisis — it is in freefall.
Climate shocks. Disease outbreaks. Displacement and migration. Shrinking aid. Yet communities continue to expect one thing from the IFRC: that we show up.
That expectation is our mandate.
The challenges are accelerating. So must we.
The world is not waiting. Neither can we.
My thanks to the Governing Board for its continued support and leadership.
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And that’s a wrap for Heat Action Day 2026!
Led by the @IFRC network and partners, Heat Action Day mobilizes cities, communities, and organizations worldwide to take simple yet life-saving steps to protect people from heat-related illness.
This year, our teams and partners led creative, community-driven initiatives across the globe. For example, in Geneva, Switzerland, the iconic Jet d’Eau was lit up in orange to mark the day.
Thank you, @VilledeGeneve, for standing with us to #BeatTheHeat.
Let’s keep the momentum going.
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Today is Heat Action Day, a global initiative led by the @IFRC to raise awareness and take action on the growing threat of extreme heat
More than 500,000 people die each year from heat-related causes, yet it remains a silent crisis.
Through the IFRC’s Extreme Heat Initiative, we are helping communities prepare for and adapt to extreme heat. Resources must reach local communities, and local actors must be empowered to lead. Governments, businesses and communities all have a role to play.
We can no longer afford to look away. Extreme heat is here, and it is deadly. Let’s act now and #BeatTheHeat together.
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Misinformation is not just a side effect of this Ebola outbreak, it is helping drive it.
This article from the Sunday @thetimes shows how fear and rumours are undermining response efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the @IFRC, our strength is local: volunteers embedded in communities, building trust, addressing fears, and saving lives.
Epidemics start, and end, with communities.
thetimes.com/world/africa/ar…
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May 31
Three months since the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and Iran, silent humanitarian crises are deepening across the region.
Families are struggling to access food, medicine, fuel and shelter. Our IFRC network teams continue to respond but funding is critically low.
The IFRC’s Emergency Appeal for Iran is currently only four per cent funded, while the Lebanon appeal remains under 14 per cent funded. Without urgent, flexible support, lifesaving assistance will be delayed or cut. We call on donors and the international community to provide sustained and flexible funding.
The IFRC also reiterated urgent concerns over attacks affecting healthcare workers, ambulances, and humanitarian responders. ifrc.org/press-release/silen…
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May 30
The @IFRC has significantly scaled up its regional Ebola response with CHF 29 million regional emergency appeal and expanded operations across the DRC, Uganda, and neighbouring high‑risk countries in following areas. 👇
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