Martin Lagneau Appointed New Director of Handicap International Luxembourg

On Monday 9 December 2024, Handicap International Luxembourg announced the appointment of Martin Lagneau as its new director.

Mr Lagneau recently took over the management of the NGO, which works alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable people, with the support of the Board of Directors. "Thanks to the work of the teams and volunteers and the support of donors, I find an association that is still as dynamic, committed and humane as ever," he said.

With 25 years of experience in the field of international development cooperation and humanitarian aid, Mr Lagneau already knows the NGO well. Involved in Handicap International since 1997, he contributed to the historic fight to ban anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs. As reported by the NGO, he has continued the organisation's fight for the protection of civilians during armed conflicts and for the inclusion of vulnerable people and people with disabilities. From his first missions, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cambodia, he devoted himself to protecting populations against explosive weapons and helping victims of these weapons. He headed Handicap International in Luxembourg from 2007 to 2020 before continuing his commitments to rights with other organisations over the last four years.

After four years at the head of Handicap International, outgoing director Mehdi Magha said: "I am proud to have been able to contribute to this project and I am convinced that Martin will continue our action with the same passion and the same desire to make the voices of people with disabilities heard."

Martin Lagneau added: "I know that thanks to donors and the support of the Luxembourg authorities we will continue to write the history of Handicap International by responding to the injustices or disasters suffered by the most vulnerable populations."

His next challenge, according to the NGO, will be to prepare Handicap International in Luxembourg to respond in the years to come to the challenges posed by the increase in armed conflicts and unprecedented environmental degradation, in a context of rising extremism, threats to democracy and international law and pressure on financial support from the public and States. However, he expressed his confidence, saying: "I am convinced that Handicap International will rise to this challenge, by remaining the bridge between those who want to help and those who need help, by upholding our values of inclusion and humanity, and by relying on the unwavering commitment and integrity of those who make up our organisation."