Jagan Chapagain is the chief executive officer and secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). He was appointed by the IFRC Governing Board in February 2020 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Chapagain has extensive experience in leading effective and principled humanitarian response around the world and has dedicated his life to helping empower local communities. 

He brings decades of experience in building and leading inclusive teams and forging trustful partnerships to address global challenges, ranging from climate to health, and from migration to protection, gender, and inclusion. He has also championed policies and programmes that promote youth engagement and volunteering, and that strengthen localisation and accountability in humanitarian action. 

He began his humanitarian journey as a youth volunteer with the Nepal Red Cross and has extensive experience in, and broad knowledge of, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. 

Prior to being appointed secretary general, he served as under secretary general for programmes and operations at the IFRC. He was also previously chief of staff and regional director for Asia Pacific, where he provided leadership during large-scale humanitarian crises and built resilient communities alongside National Societies and other partners. 

A national of Nepal, Chapagain is an engineer by training. He holds certificates in leadership and turnaround management, emerging social sector leadership, and high performance boards. 

More about the Red Cross and the 1963 Nobel Peace Prize.