Robert Glasser

Robert Glasser is the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and head of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). Australian national Glasser was nominated in November 2015 by Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to succeed Margareta Wahlström of Sweden, who was the first such Special Representative and had been appointed in November 2008. Glasser took up his post in January 2016. He was succeeded on 1 March 2018 by Mami Mizutori.

Glasser has also been a member of the board of the Global Call for Climate Action, and was the inaugural Board Chairman of the CHS International Alliance, a new organization resulting from the June 2015 merger of People In Aid and Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International. He has also served as a fellow of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Prior to joining the United Nations, Glasser had from 2008 served as Secretary General of CARE (relief agency), one of the world’s largest non-governmental humanitarian organizations, active in over 80 countries. From 2003 to 2007, he was the Chief Executive of CARE Australia, overseeing aid and humanitarian relief programmes in Cambodia, Viet Nam, Papua New Guinea and the Middle East. Before joining CARE, he was Assistant Director General at the Australian Agency for International Development.

Born in 1959, Glasser holds a PhD in International relations (Strategic studies) from the Australian National University. He is married with three children.