Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair
The Envoy provides strategic advice to the Chair and the Steering Group and represents the Chair in high-level public events while promoting the work of the Platform and raising awareness of the findings of the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda at the global and the regional level. He also serves as the Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Platform.
Walter Kaelin is professor emeritus for international and (Swiss) constitutional law, University of Bern/Switzerland. He was a member of the Expert Advisory Group of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement (2019-2021). He served as Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (2004-2010), as a member of the UN Human Rights Committee (2003-2008 / 2012-2014) and as Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Commission on the situation of human rights in Iraqi occupied Kuwait (1991/92). From 2011-2015, he acted as director of the Swiss Centre of Excellence in Human Rights. He is also the former Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative on disaster-induced cross-border displacement (2012-2015).
