Peter Herby

Peter Herby is currently an Arms Adviser for the Norwegian Red Cross, working to mobilize the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on humanitarian-based arms issues.

Previously he was head of the Arms Unit in the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from 1997 until 2012 and represented the ICRC in all arms-related negotiations between 1994 and 2012.

In this capacity he led work at the ICRC in 2010 and 2012 to reframe the question of nuclear weapons as primarily being a humanitarian, ethical and international humanitarian law issue and to build support for this approach within the broader International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Since 2012, as head of “Petersburg Partnerships” a consultancy on humanitarian-based approaches to arms control and disarmament, Herby has provided expert support on humanitarian-based arms control and disarmament issues for the Norwegian Red Cross, ICRC, UNIDIR, Geneva Center for Security Policy, Geneva Center for Humanitarian Demining and several non-governmental organizations.

From 1983-1993 he directed the disarmament and arms control program of the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva. Herby holds Masters Degrees in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (UK, 1992) and in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Bradford (UK, 1979). His first degree (BA) was from Georgetown University (US).