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Yves Daccord is a renowned humanitarian leader, international strategist, influencer and changemaker. His current focus is on the theme of security, social contract and the role of cities at the age of digital surveillance and pandemics, which is the subject of a special initiative – the Edgelands PoP Up Institute - that he is leading at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. From 2010 – March 2020 Yves was Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a global humanitarian organization employing 20,000 staff. 

A former journalist, TV producer and international relations expert, his ICRC career spanned more than two decades in a variety of posts and challenging contexts – including Israel and the Occupied Territories, Sudan, Yemen, Chechnya and Georgia. 

Yves co-chairs the #Principles4Peace initiative. He is as well member of the Board of Trustees of ODI a leading global affairs think tank working to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality, of the Board of the International Human Rights Film Festival of Geneva, of the Board of the leading swiss newspaper LeTemps and of the Board of the Humanitarian Quality Insurance Initiative. 

Yves holds a degree in political science and an honorary doctorate in social sciences from the University of St. Gallen, awarded in 2017.


Projects & Tools

Digital Identity

Exploring the ethical and human rights considerations of digital identity.

Digital Ethics in Times of Crisis: COVID-19 & Access to Education and Learning Spaces

A global research sprint explores digital transformation at a pivotal moment in time

The Ethics of Digitalization

Led by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Berkman Klein Center, and the Digital Asia Hub, and in collaboration with the Global Network of…


News

Mar 30, 2023

Digital Identity During Times of Crisis

What We Learned During the Fall 2022 Research Sprint

BKC hosted a 10-week Research Sprint from October to December 2022 investigating Digital Identity in Times of Crisis, in collaboration with partners metaLAB at Harvard, the…


Community

Geneva Solutions

Yves Daccord: ‘It’s time to build a new social contract and reflect on what unites us all’

Yves Daccord discusses building a new social contract and plans for a pop-up institute

Jan 5, 2021

Events

Apr 22, 2021 @ 9:00 PM

Edgelands Institute APAC Launch

INTRODUCING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY POP-UP INSTITUTE

The Edgelands Institute is an interdisciplinary pop-up institute to redraw our social contract in our era of mass-urbanization, surveillance, pandemics, and other emergencies,…

Event
Apr 8, 2021 @ 1:00 PM

Edgelands Institute Launch Event

Introducing an interdisciplinary pop-up institute

The Edgelands Institute is an interdisciplinary pop-up institute to redraw our social contract in our era of mass-urbanization, surveillance, pandemics, and other emergencies,…