Elisabeth Rasmusson (53) from Oslo, Norway, takes up her post as Secretary General of Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) today, 14 January 2008.

Rasmusson is joining an organisation in rapid expansion. NRC's 2000 staff provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and IDPs in over 20 countries on four continents. NRC's Emergency Standby Forces of more than 900 women and men can travel anywhere in the world within 72 hours to support the UN and other international organisations with humanitarian aid and more.

At NRC's Head Office in Oslo, Rasmusson outlined the key challenges ahead for securing the rights of refugees and IDPs. "NRC works with people in extremely vulnerable situations, who have lost virtually everything. We have both a professional and a moral obligation to use our competence and do the best job possible when responding to the needs of these people," Rasmusson said.

Elisabeth Rasmusson has a degree in political science from the University of Oslo and a long and impressive career in international humanitarian work. She has previously been Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Field Coordinator for the UN in Angola and Cooperation Coordinator for the International Red Cross in Colombia. Rasmusson joins NRC from her position as Senior Adviser to the UN Deputy Emergency Coordinator at the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Rasmusson began her career in NRC in 1993, as a programme coordinator for Latin Amerika. Later, she headed the establishment of NRC's office in Geneva, which hosts the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, now the world's leading database for internally displaced persons.

The Norwegian Refugee Council is an independent, humanitarian non-governmental organisation which provides assistance, protection and durable solutions to refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide.