13 November 2015
ECRE’s Secretary General, Michael Diedring, will be leaving the organisation in early 2016 to begin his role as the new Director of the European Programme on Integration and Migration (EPIM).
“To my colleagues at the secretariat, this has been a most difficult choice as I respect and admire the dedication, expertise and commitment they bring to their work every day. To the ECRE Board, I thank them for the trust and support provided to me. And last but certainly not least, to ECRE’s membership, it has been a true honour and privilege to have represented the interests of this unique alliance. The daily work of ECRE’s members provides inspiration in a sector that has recently been filled mostly with suffering and despair. The importance of this alliance has never been greater. I am proud to have been associated with ECRE, and am enthusiastic to undertake my new role at EPIM,” Michael Diedring said.
ECRE Board Chair Morten Kjærum wished Michael Diedring the very best for the future and thanked him for his enormous contributions to ECRE:
“Although it is with much regret that we bid farewell to Michael Diedring, I can, at least, take comfort in the knowledge that a man of his qualities will continue to work in his new role for the betterment of refugees and migrants in Europe,” Mr Kjærum said.
“Over the past few years as I have gotten to know Michael, I was struck by his profound dedication to the cause of refugee protection. He arrived at ECRE at precisely the right time, and went on to lead ECRE during a particularly tragic period for refugees seeking sanctuary in Europe. In this, he showed fortitude and an unswerving resolution in articulating the case for a truly humanitarian, European, response. For this, the ECRE family is deeply grateful,” he added.
ECRE’s Board will formally launch a search for a new leader shortly.
This article appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 13 November 2015. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.