Chapagain appointed Global Ambassador for Grand Bargain
KATHMANDU: Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has been appointed Global Ambassador for the Grand Bargain. The global initiative seeks to make humanitarian action more effective, accountable, equitable and locally led.
Chapagain was formally welcomed into the role at the 2026 Grand Bargain Annual Meeting in Geneva and will serve an initial two-year term. In the position, he will engage with governments, donors, United Nations agencies, international and national non-governmental organisations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and local humanitarian organisations to strengthen collective action on key challenges facing the humanitarian system.
The Global Ambassador role is separate from his responsibilities as IFRC Secretary General. Acting on behalf of the wider Grand Bargain community, he will bring together its various constituencies around a shared agenda.
The Grand Bargain was launched after the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit to reform how humanitarian assistance is financed, organised and delivered. From January 2027, it will operate as the Collective Action Platform for the Grand Bargain (CAP4GB), with a focus on quality funding, localisation, and equitable partnerships. Accountability to affected people and gender equality will remain cross-cutting priorities.
The new phase aims to strengthen implementation at country level through National Reference Groups and closer links between country-level evidence and global humanitarian decision-making.
As Global Ambassador, Chapagain is expected to provide leadership and visibility to advance the agenda across the humanitarian system. His mandate includes promoting the perspectives of local and national humanitarian actors and helping ensure that experiences from crisis-affected countries reach senior global decision-makers.
Chapagain said he would approach the role with three commitments: listening first, carrying concerns to those with the authority to address them, and following up on commitments to ensure delivery. He said his focus would be on turning existing commitments into action rather than creating new strategies.
Local leadership will be a key priority. Chapagain has pledged to use his global platform to bring the voices and experiences of people and organisations closest to crises into international humanitarian discussions and decision-making processes.
"Ultimately, the success of this platform will not be measured by the commitments we make in meeting rooms, but by whether people see and feel a difference in their daily lives," Chapagain said.
A Nepali national, Chapagain has served as IFRC Secretary General since February 2020. His appointment comes as the Grand Bargain enters a renewed phase aimed at strengthening local leadership, improving the quality of humanitarian financing and promoting more equitable partnerships for people affected by crises.
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