I have been working with the ICRC as a delegate since 1985 and I was mainly visiting people deprived of freedom (POWs, security detainees, political prisoners) in countries of the Middle East and North Africa and in South East Asia. In the late 90ies I was also involved in setting up and supervising humanitarian actions in the Balkans, with a focus on the search for missing and the protection and assistance of civilians. From 2002 to 2004, I was the Deputy to the Director General and therefore involved in institutional strategy work. From 2004 to 2008 I was tasked by the ICRC to organize meetings and conferences with prominent individuals and Institutions of the Muslim World and thus to create a better mutual understanding of important scholarly traditions regarding the laws of war, International Humanitarian Law and humanitarian principles and activities. From 2008 to 2014 I lead the Division of Protection and Central Tracing Agency of the ICRC. From September 2014 through March 2020, I was a member of the administrative council of Médecins sans frontières (Switzerland). In 2018, I joined the Board of the newly founded Green Flower Foundation in Geneva. We have been focussing on developing the sector of vocational training in organic horticulture and young entrepreneurship in the Technical and vocational training center in Bishotou, Ethiopia.Specialities: Protection of people in times of conflict and other situations of violenceManagement in non-for-profit organisationsHumanitarian principles and their translation into various culturesDevelopmental questionsLanguages: German, French, English, Arabic
