Robert Mardini (born 6 August 1972) is a Lebanese-Swiss humanitarian and public health leader. He served as Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from 2020 to 2024 and is currently Director general of the University hospital of Geneva.
Robert Mardini | |
|---|---|
 Robert Mardini, former Director General, ICRC | |
| Director General of the Geneva University Hospitals | |
| Assumed office 1 September 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Bertrand Levrat |
| Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross | |
| In office 1 April 2020 – 30 March 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Yves Daccord |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Krähenbühl |
Early life and education
editMardini was born and raised in Tripoli, Lebanon. He was educated at the Lycée Franco-Libanais Alphonse de Lamartine and at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, where he was awarded a Master of Science in civil engineering and hydraulics in 1996.[1]
Professional career
editMardini joined the ICRC in 1997, coordinating water engineering programmes in Rwanda and Iraq, before leading the organization's Water & Habitat Unit with projects in over 40 countries, improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene services to around 14 million people per year. He went on to hold various senior positions within the organization, including Deputy Director General (2010–2012), Regional Director for the Near and Middle East (2012–2018) and Permanent Observer of the ICRC to the United Nations & Head of Delegation in New York (2018–2020). In this latter role, Mardini steered the ICRC's diplomatic engagement with the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, Member States and UN entities to influence decisions on humanitarian issues across policy themes and geographic contexts.[2][3][4] He has spoken and published on a broad range of key issues such as armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East;[5][6][7] international humanitarian law;[8] sexual violence in conflict;[9] humanitarian action and counter-terrorism measures;[10] the future of humanitarian action[11] and digital transformation.[12] Mardini was appointed ICRC Director-General in October 2019 , and took up his position on 30 March 2020.[13]
His tenure began during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed closely by the Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict, which precipitated a period of extraordinary humanitarian needs worldwide.[14] At the same time, the gap between global humanitarian funding and needs widened to historical levels, with record shortfalls across the sector[15] necessitating significant budget reductions.[16] After almost three decades with the institution, Mardini completed his four-year mandate as Director General in March 2024.
Awards and recognition
editIn 2020, he received the EPFL Alumni Award,[17] a distinction awarded to former graduates who have led exceptional careers, "in recognition of his skills, strategic vision, and commitment, which have shaped a distinguished career within one of the most essential international organizations, thereby directly contributing to the protection of human lives around the world."
In 2021, Robert Mardini was elected life member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences - SATW,[18] "in recognition of his ability to mobilize his teams to provide effective emergency aid to victims of major armed conflicts."
Robert Mardini has been a member of the EPFL Strategic advisory board since 2022.
He was appointed an Executive in Residence of the IMD International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne in January 2024.[19]
Personal life
editMardini has dual Lebanese and Swiss citizenship. He is married and has two daughters.
References
edit- ^ Werlé, Christine (9 September 2021). "Enfant de la guerre". corporate.migros.ch (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "International Humanitarian Law is key to upholding multilateralism and addressing global challenges". 9 November 2018 – via www.icrc.org.
- ^ "Developing capacity for peace and security of African States requires sustained partnerships". International Committee of the Red Cross. 20 November 2018.
- ^ "First ever ICRC contribution to Security Council debate on climate – Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre". www.climatecentre.org.
- ^ "Viewpoint: Why it is unconscionable to attack Syria's aid workers". BBC News. 23 September 2016.
- ^ "Iraq: ICRC strongly condemns use of chemical weapons around Mosul". International Committee of the Red Cross. 3 March 2017.
- ^ Zarocostas, John (29 May 2017). "Frontline: Providing care in the midst of the crisis in Yemen". The Lancet. 389 (10081): 1785. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31199-6. PMID 28495158. S2CID 205986570.
- ^ "Robert Mardini: "Il est urgent de croire au droit international humanitaire"". rts.ch. 6 July 2018.
- ^ "We must create and safeguard an environment that prevents sexual violence". International Committee of the Red Cross. 23 April 2019.
- ^ "ICRC statement to UN Security Council opens debate on preventing and combating financing of terrorism". 28 March 2019 – via www.icrc.org.
- ^ "In a changing world, humanitarianism needs to be smarter and more innovative than ever". The National. 31 December 2019.
- ^ "The digital frontier: Robert Mardini on the information landscape in conflict". CDAC Network. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "ICRC appoints new director-general". International Committee of the Red Cross. 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Humanitarian needs to deepen in dozens of conflict zones as world's attention wanes ICRC".
- ^ "What the latest funding data says about the humanitarian system". The New Humanitarian.
- ^ "Red Cross cuts 2024 budget as donations fall". Reuters.
- ^ EPFL (10 May 2020). ""The pandemic comes on top of other crises managed by the ICRC"".
- ^ "Full Members". www.satw.ch. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "Robert Mardini - Executive in Residence at IMD Business School". www.imd.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.