Since August 2020, Xavier Castellanos Mosquera is the Under Secretary General,National Society Development and Coordination of the International Federationof Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largesthumanitarian network.Xavier has four decades experience in National Society development, resilience buildingand emergency humanitarian operations at the national, regional and global levels. Hehas served the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in various capacitiessince 1981, when he started as a volunteer with the National Society of Ecuador. He joinedthe IFRC in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch in Central America.In his previous role as Regional Director for Asia Pacific, Xavier provided strategic andoperational leadership on disaster preparedness and responses to COVID-19, tsunamisand earthquakes and other health and disaster-related emergencies. Xavier also servedas Regional Director of the Americas and in various leadership positions dealing withhumanitarian response operations, disaster preparedness, and communications withinthe Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, in national NGOs and with the Ecuadorian RedCross.Xavier is from Ecuador and has three children. He has a Bachelor’s degree inCommunication and Health from the Andina Simón Bolívar University in Ecuador. He alsoholds several professional diplomas in humanitarian affairs and corporate socialresponsibility and is fluent in Spanish and English.