Olivier Vandecasteele is an experienced Belgian humanitarian who recently founded Protect Humanitarians, a global alliance aimed at improving the safety and support of frontline humanitarian workers. For 20 years, Olivier himself responded to humanitarian crises in challenging contexts: health emergencies in Afghanistan and Mali, essential aid to refugees and migrants in Morocco and Iran.

After serving as Country Director for various NGOs, Olivier was arbitrarily detained by Iran for 456 days. Amnesty International and the United Nations recognized that he was a victim of enforced disappearance and torture.

One year after regaining his freedom, Olivier leads Protect Humanitarians, a sectoral initiative advocating for better protection of humanitarian workers, improved mental health support for survivors, and increased legal actions to bring perpetrators of attacks against humanitarians to justice.