Head of Directorate

Ambassador Tobias Privitelli assumed his function as Director of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) in August 2024. In previous functions, he gained extensive experience on armed conflicts, multilateralism, peace policy and human rights diplomacy.

Ambassador Privitelli is a Swiss diplomat who worked from 2009-2013 in the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Berne and was in charge of relations to countries in Eastern Europe/South Caucasus. In 2011, he was a member of the Swiss team which mediated between the Russian Federation and Georgia regarding Russia’s accession to the WTO. When Switzerland assumed the Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2014, Mr. Privitelli became the political advisor to Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office on the South Caucasus and participated in the Geneva International Discussions. In the OSCE context, he also dealt with the conflict in Ukraine and arms control.

From 2015 to 2018, as a Counsellor at the Swiss Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Tobias Privitelli worked on conflict and post-conflict situations in Africa, with a particular focus on Burundi. His responsibilities included peacebuilding, mediation, conflict prevention and human security. From 2018 to 2022, Mr. Privitelli served as the Deputy Head of the Swiss Embassy in Moscow.   

In 2022, he joined the Office of the High Representative (OHR) for Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo as Deputy High Representative and head of the political department. The OHR oversees the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.    

Tobias Privitelli holds a PhD in contemporary history from the University of Berne and conducted research in Moscow, Stanford and Lithuania.

• Organisation Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
• Division Head of Directorate
• Unit Director