Margareta Wahlström
By the end of the year 2015 Ms Margareta Wahlström completed her second term as the first Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. She was appointed in November 2008 and served for 7 years in that capacity.
Ms Wahlström has extensive experience in both disaster relief operations and disaster risk management, with the United Nations system and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Her broad experience spans conflict and non-conflict emergencies, and addressing long-term issues of sustainable development. Ms Wahlström is also the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), that is the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields.
In 2008, she was the Coordinator of the Independent Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises, chaired by Mr Lakhdar Brahimi. From 2004-2008, Ms Wahlström served as Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In 2004-2005, she was the UN Special Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance to the Tsunami-Affected Communities. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Relief, Recovery and Rehabilitation for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in 2002-2004. From 1995-2000, Ms Wahlström served as Under-Secretary-General for Disaster Response and Operations, as well as Deputy Director Operations of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.