KATHMANDU, Dec 5: A Nepali humanitarian and Red Cross veteran Jagan Chapagain has been selected as the new Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

“Mr Chapagain was selected today during an extraordinary meeting of the IFRC Governing Board, “ an IFRC press statement said late Tuesday.  Chapagain would begin his four-year mandate from February 1, 2020, succeeding the current Secretary General Elhadj As Sy.

“We are very excited to announce Jagan as our new Secretary General. He brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the Red Cross and Red Crescent,” the statement quoted IFRC President Francesco Rocca as saying.

An engineer by training, Chapagain has more than 25 years experience within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Currently, he is working as an Under Secretary General for Programmes and Operations.

Prior to his current assignment, he served in a series of senior IFRC roles, including Regional Director for Asia Pacific and Chief of Staff. “It’s with pride that I will hand over in February to such an experienced friend and colleague who will work with passion to take our Federation to new heights,” ELhad As Sy, the current secretary general of IFRC tweeted Wednesday. 

In a tweet after the announcement of his selection, Chapagain has expressed his gratitude to the governing board and President of IFRC for entrusting him with the responsibility. “I follow on the footsteps of ELhad As Sy -- a principled and an inspiring leader,” he said.

A native of Chitwan, Chapagain had begun his career as program manager of Red Cross-supported Refugee program in Damak in 1992. The IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, comprising 190 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies with 13.7 million volunteers and 160,000 local branches.

 
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