UK's Tom Fletcher named head of UN humanitarian agency

AFP , Wednesday 9 Oct 2024

The United Nations named British diplomat and academic Tom Fletcher as head of its humanitarian agency on Wednesday, as the organization grapples with unprecedented crises and budget pressures.

 Tom Fletcher
The United Nations named British diplomat and academic Tom Fletcher as head of its humanitarian agency. YouTube

 

He succeeds Martin Griffiths, who has suffered poor health, at the helm of the sprawling organization that has long been headed by a British national.

A spokesman for the UN told a briefing that Fletcher did not yet have a start date to head the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and that Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, would continue as the acting OCHA chief until he took up his new role.

"United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today announced the appointment of Tom Fletcher of the United Kingdom as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs," the UN said in a statement.

Fletcher is currently the head of Hertford College, Oxford University and has previously held a number of overseas postings in Britain's foreign ministry, the UN said in its statement.

"He previously served as Global Strategy Director, Global Business Coalition for Education (2015-2019) and led work for former Prime Minister Gordon Brown on refugee education," the statement said.

"He also served as United Kingdom's Ambassador to Lebanon (2011-2015), as Foreign and Development Policy Adviser to three United Kingdom Prime Ministers (2007-2011), and as the Prime Ministers' mediator on Northern Ireland."

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