Geneva, 08 March 2024

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) has appointed former senior Norwegian diplomat Bente Angell-Hansen as Chair of the Advisory Council of the Resilience Fund, the GI-TOC’s global support mechanism for civil society responses to organized crime.

The Resilience Fund will benefit from her experience and insights as it expands its funding, capacity building and networking support to civil society organizations and individuals around the world. The Fund’s beneficiaries implement community responses to organized crime in some of the world’s most fragile contexts. Having supported over 200 initiatives in more than 50 countries since its inception in 2019, the Fund is expanding its support programme in 2024 due to its growing base of funders.

Ms Angell-Hansen has served in several senior roles in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, including as Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, and Secretary General of the Ministry. She went on to serve as President of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority, and currently serves as a board member of the World Bank/WHO Global Preparedness Monitoring Board.

Mark Shaw, Director of the GI-TOC, said:

‘We are delighted to welcome Bente Angell-Hansen as Chair of the Resilience Fund Advisory Council. The Fund has achieved a great deal since its launch in 2019, and is now entering a new phase of growth and delivery, which requires exactly the type of vision, leadership and experience that Bente possesses. We are honoured to have her on board, and to deepen even further the links between the GI-TOC and Norway that have been fundamental to our establishment and subsequent growth.’

Bente Angell-Hansen said:

‘I have been continually inspired and impressed by the courage, bravery and impact of the GI-TOC Resilience Fund community, and I am humbled to become part of the team supporting the Fund’s work. In recent years, the problems of transnational organized crime have worsened, causing untold suffering and hindering efforts to support peace, development and human rights. Despite these challenges, including through the Resilience Fund, the GI-TOC is resolutely putting in place strategic efforts to make a difference, both at the community level and at the multilateral level.’

Ms Angell-Hansen joins existing Council members Gwen Boniface, Juan Camilo Cock Misas, Janet Mawiyoo and Miguel Syjuco to advocate for and promote the work of the Fund, and to raise resources for the continuation and expansion of the Fund’s activities. More information about the Fund and its Advisory Council can be read here.

The Resilience Fund was launched with the support of the government of Norway in 2019, and has subsequently received funds from the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.