UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday appointed former British diplomat Tom Fletcher as the new U.N. humanitarian chief.
UN appoints former British diplomat Tom Fletcher as new humanitarian chief
Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday appointed former British diplomat Tom Fletcher as the new U.N. humanitarian chief.
By The Associated Press
Fletcher, who is currently principal of Hertford College, Oxford and vice chair of Oxford University's Conference of Colleges, succeeds fellow Briton Martin Griffiths, who stepped down for health reasons as undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs at the end of June.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, who announced the appointment, said acting U.N. humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya will remain in the job until Fletcher takes over at a future date.
Haq called Fletcher ''an internationally recognized communicator, through his books and media work across the fields of development, diplomacy, technology and democracy, with a blend of technocratic expertise and public diplomacy.''
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States looks forward to collaborating closely with Fletcher "to strengthen and accelerate global efforts to address urgent humanitarian crises.'
''We must do everything we can to ensure lifesaving aid reaches those most in need – from Sudan, to Gaza, Haiti, Ukraine, and beyond,'' she said in a statement.
Fletcher previously served as global strategy director of the Global Business Coalition for Education from 2015-2019, served as the UK's ambassador to Lebanon from 2011-2015 and as foreign and development policy adviser to three UK prime ministers from 2007-2011. He was also a mediator on Northern Ireland and held diplomatic posts in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
about the writer
The Associated Press
The Associated PressStock market today: Wall Street barely budges as GM's best day in years offsets GE Aerospace tumble
U.S. stock indexes barely budged after a quiet day of mixed trading on Tuesday.