Jan Egeland appointed Eminent Person of the Grand Bargain

Published Date

JanJan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, will take over as Eminent Person of the Grand Bargain at the Grand Bargain Annual Meeting on 15 June 2021.

‘I am honoured to take on this important role at such a crucial time when the gap between humanitarian needs and funding is widening. As Eminent Person I will champion that every cent possible is going to the people affected by crises. We can only do so by working together, donors and aid groups, to reduce unnecessary bureaucratic costs and making our work more efficient.’ said Egeland.

‘I am delighted that Jan Egeland has accepted the invitation to lead the Grand Bargain. The Eminent Person position is crucial for continuing to drive and champion transformation and real change, and with Jan, I am leaving things in good hands,’ said the current Grand Bargain Eminent Person, Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

The Eminent Person is responsible for promoting and championing the Grand Bargain’s commitments, specifically working to ensure that more resources end up with affected people by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian assistance. The Eminent Person, in consultation with the Facilitation Group, helps to strategically advance the agenda, raise awareness of certain issues, and address challenges.

On behalf of the Grand Bargain Facilitation Group, IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain also welcomed Egeland: ‘Jan will add new energy to the Grand Bargain 2.0 process and will bring his vast knowledge of the humanitarian system to effectively work across constituency groups and further the change to which we are all committed.’

Egeland will carry out the role alongside his Norwegian Refugee Council position. The Eminent Person position will initially be for a period of two years.