Christopher Rassi, based in Geneva, Switzerland, serves as IFRC Chief of Staff and Under Secretary General, People and Strategy. He ensures the Secretary General can effectively discharge his statutory duties and key responsibilities at all times, supporting the Secretary General in the management of the organization. He also leads the organization’s areas of work related to People and Strategy, including overseeing the Executive Office, Ethical Practices, Human Resources Management, Strategic Planning and Global Security. He is the IFRC’s designated Safeguarding Champion. Christopher serves on the Senior Leadership Team and Global Leadership Team. 

Christopher has worked in various roles with the IFRC in different locations, most recently in Southeast Asia as Head of Delegation based in Bangkok, Thailand and as the IFRC’s Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific. He led major operational responses in the region, including during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout his time with the IFRC, Christopher has focused on transforming National Societies to be strong local actors and promoting localization and accountability in the humanitarian system. 

Before joining the IFRC, Christopher practiced as a lawyer within the United Nations and in private practice, including at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and with the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in The Hague, Netherlands and Arusha, Tanzania. He was also a foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa in Johannesburg. 

Christopher is a frequent speaker and lecturer at global events and universities around the world. He serves on several boards, including the Board of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Board of the Jean-Pictet Competition in International Humanitarian Law, and the Dean’s Cabinet for Global Legal Studies at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.