UN appoints new senior leadership for UNHCR

The United Nations has announced a new set of senior appointments to the leadership of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with Secretary-General António Guterres naming Tressa Rae Finerty as Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Antón Leis García as Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, and Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.

The appointments, announced on Saturday, are expected to take effect in the coming weeks.

The three officials will occupy the most senior positions within UNHCR, supporting the High Commissioner in leading the agency’s global response to the protection and assistance of refugees, stateless persons and other people forced to flee their homes.

Welcoming the appointments, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih expressed confidence that the incoming officials would strengthen the agency’s response to the growing global displacement crisis.

“I warmly welcome these appointments and look forward to working closely with Tressa, Anton and Edem,” Salih said.

“Their leadership, experience and commitment will be invaluable as UNHCR responds to displacement challenges around the world. Together, we will work to continue strengthening protection, expanding opportunities for self-reliance and pursuing lasting solutions that help refugees rebuild their lives with dignity.”

Finerty, a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Geneva and Deputy Executive Secretary in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of State. Her diplomatic career has also included postings at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York and embassies in Malaysia, Iraq, Armenia and Thailand. In addition, she has taught refugee policy at New York University and Georgetown University.

Leis García currently heads the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Spain’s development and humanitarian agency. He has previously held senior positions at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Office of the President of the Spanish Government, and international financial institutions including the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group.

Wosornu currently serves as Director of the Crisis Response Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group. She has held several senior headquarters and field positions within OCHA and began her United Nations career as an intern at UNHCR before working in the private legal sector in the United Kingdom.

The newly appointed officials will replace Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner; Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations; and Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, whose terms are coming to an end.

Paying tribute to the outgoing leaders, Salih praised their contributions to the agency’s humanitarian mission.

“The organization owes a profound debt of gratitude to Kelly, Raouf and Ruven for their exceptional service and dedication,” he said. “Their leadership has strengthened UNHCR’s ability to protect and assist millions of displaced and stateless people around the world.”