Mark Cutts Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

Mediation and discreet diplomacy to prevent, mitigate and resolve armed conflict. Particular focus on engagement with hard-to-reach actors in Syria. Work with a team of experts to help reduce tensions, prevent conflict escalation, broker ceasefires and limit human suffering caused by war. Includes providing advice on political and security issues, to ensure the protection of civilians, the safety of humanitarian workers, and the maintenance of vital civilian infrastructure and services in high-risk areas. Work with governments, armed groups, opposition parties and communities, to facilitate dialogue on activities aimed at addressing the special needs of vulnerable populations, including minority groups. Support for broader mediation efforts to broker lasting peace agreements.

Turkey

Leadership and management of one of the world’s biggest and most high-risk humanitarian operations, with a budget of over US$ 4 billion annually. Responsible for coordinating the work of UN agencies and over 200 national/international humanitarian organizations in northwest Syria. Chief negotiator with Turkish government officials, UN Member States and local authorities on issues related to cross-border operations from Turkey. Manager of the multi-donor Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund, allocating between US$100 – 200 million annually.

Myanmar

Coordination of a complex humanitarian operation, with a particular focus on Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states, with annual budgets of over US$ 150 million. Led strategic planning and helped coordinate the international response to multiple crises, including the Rohingya crisis, when targeted attacks forced 700,000 Rohingya people to flee to Bangladesh.

Sudan

Coordination of one of the world’s biggest relief operations at the time, with annual budgets of over US$ 1 billion. Helped provide emergency assistance to over a million internally displaced people in Darfur and hundreds of thousands of people who relocated during the process of South Sudan becoming an independent country in 2011. Managed the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (over US$ 100 million annually). Played a lead role in high level negotiations with the Sudanese Government, local authorities, non-State actors and the military.

Provided strategic and operational support to teams in Burundi, Colombia, DR Congo, Liberia, Nepal, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. Advised and led on a major humanitarian reform initiative, establishing global clusters for humanitarian emergencies. Led inter-agency support missions to Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Haiti, Nepal, South Africa, Sudan, Timor-Leste and Zimbabwe. Deployed to Sri Lanka as Senior Field Coordinator during the crisis in 2009 when over 200,000 people were displaced. Chair of the Geneva Operations Group in the Emergency Task Force for the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

Geneva

Speech writer and policy advisor to the High Commissioner. Organized high-level meetings and accompanied the High Commissioner on visits to state capitals and to refugee camps in various countries/regions. Regularly accompanied the High Commissioner in meetings with Heads of State and other senior Government officials.

Geneva, Switzerland

Managing editor and principal author of The State of the World's Refugees: Fifty Years of Humanitarian Action (2000). The book provides a detailed history of all the major refugee emergencies between 1950-2000. It examines the development of international refugee law, the international community's changing response to the problem of forced migration, and the link between displacement and international peace and security. Published a number of policy papers and journal articles on refugees, forced displacement and humanitarian action.

Bosnia And Herzegovina

Led UNHCR's operations in the besieged city of Sarajevo during the height of the Bosnian war. Managed the logistical operations in Sarajevo and distribution of all supplies brought in through the Sarajevo airlift. Managed humanitarian evacuations of wounded people and emergency medical cases. Responsible for negotiating with senior Bosnian Government officials, Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat authorities. Responsible for coordination with the UN peacekeeping forces.

Responsible for UNHCR programmes in Central Bosnia, with a focus on helping get assistance to the most vulnerable, the sick and wounded, elderly people, displaced people, civilians in enclaves and places under siege, and those in places under attack and in hard-to-reach areas. Responsible for negotiating with parties to the conflict and for working closely with UN peacekeeping forces.

Nepal And Afghanistan

Managed a sanitation and public health programme in new camps being set up for newly arriving Bhutanese refugees in Jhapa, Nepal. Negotiated with local authorities in Afghanistan and helped re-establish Save the Children’s presence in the country after many years of absence. Conducted needs assessments & set up a programme to support primary school education in Herat, western Afghanistan.

In Jordan I assisted in managing a transit camp for evacuees from Kuwait, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In the West Bank and Gaza, I was responsible for leading Save the Children Federation's programme for Palestinian refugees, with a focus on micro-credit schemes. In Iraq, I managed an emergency shelter programme for displaced people. In South Sudan, I managed a camp of unaccompanied minors (the group that eventually came to be known as the "Lost Boys of South Sudan").

In Sudan in 1986 I managed the food distribution in a camp for Chadian refugees in Darfur and later became responsible for overall camp management. In Somalia in 1987, I supported primary health care and supplementary/therapeutic feeding programmes in the Gaalkacyo area during a severe drought in the region. In Sudan in 1988-89, I managed camps for displaced people from Southern Sudan in Ed Da'ein, South Darfur. In 1990, during the war in Ethiopia/Eritrea, I supported cross-border relief operations from Sudan into Tigray and Eritrea.

M.Phil, International Relations

Bachelor Of Arts (Hons), Theology

Education record

Education record