The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) Director to Asia Pacific Alexander Matheou is going to speak on the inner workings of the IFRC, its origins and challenges that personnel of this unique organisation face in their work.
His experience as the IFRC Head of Delegation to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, where he was responsible for leading the response to the aftermath of the Beslan school siege and the TB and HIV epidemic in prisons, experience in negotiating IFRC’s role in Afghanistan after the country’s change in leadership, and most recently, for IFRC’s response to the flooding in Pakistan, provide an ample material for an insightful discussion about the work of IFRC and for making the best out of the discussion. His recent for six weeks appointment as the IFRC Special Representative to Ukraine, to help set up IFRC’s response to the humanitarian crisis in the country, is another point of interest for students and fellow practitioners.
The lecture is delivered within the PGT Human Security module and will touch on humanitarian aid and humanitarian law as aspects of human security.
Details
Date: 30 November 2022, Wednesday
Time: 18:30 to 20:15 (GMT +8)
Location: University of Nottingham Teaching Centre
Chulan Tower Jalan Conlay
50450 Kuala Lumpur
or via Teams*
*Due to unforeseen circumstances (like traffic jams and later arrival of the speaker), there might be a possibility of the lecture starting slightly later. Do stay on the line.
About the speaker:
Alexander MATHEOU is the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Regional Director for Asia Pacific. He is responsible for coordinating the largest humanitarian network in the Asia Pacific region. This involves supporting responses to current humanitarian crises and anticipating future ones. It also involves facilitating multilateral participation from thirty-eight Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in regional and global humanitarian affairs. Since taking up this role, Alexander has been responsible for negotiating IFRC’s role in Afghanistan after the country’s change in leadership, for overseeing IFRC’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic in Asia Pacific, and most recently, for IFRC’s response to the flooding in Pakistan. Alexander was also appointed for six weeks as the IFRC Special Representative to Ukraine, to help set up IFRC’s response to the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Prior to taking up his role as Regional Director, Alexander was Executive Director of International at the British Red Cross, where he was responsible for leading the global affairs and emergency responses of one of the UK’s largest charities, focusing particularly on crises in Syria, Yemen, and refugee crises around the world.
Alexander has been IFRC Regional Representative in Southern Africa, where he was responsible for leading IFRC’s responses to flooding and hunger crises; and IFRC Regional Representative in Eastern Africa, where he was responsible for leading the response to the Horn of Africa drought in 2012. He was IFRC Head of Delegation to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, where he was responsible for leading the response to the aftermath of the Beslan school siege and the TB and HIV epidemic in prisons.
Outside of the Red Cross, Alexander has been Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in India, where he led outreach programmes to high-risk groups, and Director of the Civil Education Project in Central Asia, where he was also a visiting lecturer at the American University of Central Asia.
Alexander is a British Citizen. He is currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.