UN Secretary General Appoints New High Commissioner for Refugees

Grandi will replace Portugal’s Antonio Guterres and will start work in the new capacity on January 1. Before then, his appointment must be endorsed by the UN General Assembly.

"The Secretary-General, following consultations with the Chairs of the regional groups of Member States, today informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Filippo Grandi of Italy as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)," the United Nations said in a Thursday statement, Sputnik reported.

Filippo Grandi served as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from 2010 to 2014 and it’s Deputy Commissioner-General from 2005 until 2010.

Grandi’s appointment as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees comes amid a major migrant crisis in Europe, which is struggling with an inflow of refugees from conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa.