Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation

10/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2025 06:01

Swiss diplomat Jürg Lauber elected ICRC new Vice-President

The Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has chosen Ambassador Jürg Lauber to succeed Gilles Carbonnier as Vice-President of the institution, who will end his second four-year term on 31 March 2026. Currently Switzerland's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva, Jürg Lauber is also this year the President of the UN Human Rights Council.

Ambassador Lauber has extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy. Lawyer by training, he joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in 1993, served in Bangkok, Beijing and New York before being Chief of Staff to the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (2007-2009), Director of the United Nations Division in Bern (2011-2015) and Head of the Swiss Mission to the UN in New York (2015-2020). His international career began in the Swiss Armed Forces, as part of the peacekeeping missions in Namibia (UNTAG) and on the demarcation line between North and South Korea.

Jürg Lauber's election as Vice-President of the ICRC confirms the reputation enjoyed by Swiss diplomacy around the world. On 1 April 2026, Jürg Lauber will join the ICRC's president, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, who also worked as a diplomat at the FDFA.

The ICRC is the Swiss Confederation's main partner in the humanitarian field. It plays a key role in protecting victims of armed conflict and implementing the Geneva Conventions.

Address for enquiries:

FDFA Communication Bundeshaus West 3003 Bern +41 58 460 55 55 [email protected]

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