Robert Mardini (born 1972) is Director-General of the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

(ICRC).

Early life and education

Mardini was born and raised in

Tripoli, Lebanon Tripoli ( ar, طرابلس/ALA-LC: ''Ṭarābulus'', Lebanese Arabic: ''Ṭrablus'') is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in the country. Situated north of the capital Beirut, it is the capital of the North Gove ...

. He was educated at the Lycée Français in Tripoli and at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, where he was awarded a Master of Science in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

and

hydraulics Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

in 1996.

Professional career

Mardini joined the ICRC in 1997, coordinating water engineering programmes in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–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 United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

, the

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

, Member States and UN entities to influence decisions on humanitarian issues across policy themes and geographic contexts. He has spoken and published on a broad range of key issues such as armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East; international humanitarian law; sexual violence in conflict; humanitarian action and counter-terrorism measures; and the future of humanitarian action. Mardini was appointed ICRC Director-General in October 2019 , and took up his position on 30 March 2020. In October 2020, he received the EPFL Alumni Award for his 'exceptional career'.

Personal life

Mardini has Lebanese and Swiss citizenship. He is married and has two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mardini, Robert 1972 births Living people Date of birth missing (living people) People from Tripoli, Lebanon Red Cross personnel