Guest Biography
Dr. Helen Durham AO
CEO, RedR Australia · Former ICRC Director of International Law & Policy · Professorial Fellow, Melbourne Law School
Australia
Dr. Helen Durham is an international lawyer, policy developer and academic with significant experience in multilateral negotiations and practice in the field. She is CEO of RedR Australia, Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Law School and one of the five elected members of the Standing Commission — the highest decision-making body of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Helen also sits on the Board of Geneva Call, is part of a high-level group of experts providing Human Rights advice to META and is widely published, in particular on the protection of women during times of armed conflict. As a Senior Fellow for West Point Military Academy Lieber's Institute, she highlights the need to factor the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian assistance into planning and implementation of military activities.
Previous to these roles, Helen was the first woman and first Australian to be the Director of International Law and Policy for the ICRC from 2014 to 2022 in Geneva, overseeing a department of over 500 experts. She has 30 years' experience in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and has regularly addressed the UN Security Council on cyber warfare, counterterrorism, and the protection of civilians in conflict.
With strong knowledge of the Pacific region, Helen has served as Legal Adviser to the ICRC Pacific delegation and Director of Research at the Asia Pacific Centre of Military Law at Melbourne Law School.