Jan Egeland is the former director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and a professor at the University of Stavanger. He is the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. He was named special advisor to the United Nations mediation effort in Syria and chaired the 23-nation Humanitarian Task Force from 2015–2018. From June 2021 to June 2023, he was appointed Eminent Person of the Grand Bargain Initiative, a position he held alongside his day-to-day NRC position. Since August 2013, Egeland has been the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a role that oversees the work of the humanitarian organization in both new and protracted crises across 40 countries.