In a world where conflicts are increasingly complex, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger will become the first woman to head the Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As is customary, a former Swiss diplomat has been elected to head the humanitarian organisation for a renewable four-year term. Born in Croatia, Spoljaric Egger studied philosophy, international law and economics at the universities of Basel and Geneva. She will be the first woman to head the organisation, which has its headquarters in Geneva, since it was founded 150 years ago. Previously she worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, where she was in charge of relations with Russia and the republics previously part of the Soviet Union. She will replace the former president of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, on October 1. “I will strive to highlight the...
