Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
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The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator is a high-level position in the United Nations that heads the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
| Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator of the United Nations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Inaugural holder | Jan Eliasson 1992 |
| Formation | General Assembly Resolution 46/182.[1] December 1991 |
| Website | unocha.org |
The current holder is Martin Griffiths of the United Kingdom, who took office in July 2021, following his appointment by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The post of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) was created by UN resolution 46/182 in December 1991 to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations, member states and the wider humanitarian community in response to natural and man-made emergencies.
The post is one of five cabinet-level UN positions that are traditionally held by nationals from the five permanent members of the Security Council; since 2007, five British nationals have been appointed to that position.[2] Before 2007, British nationals held the position of Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for more than a decade.[3]
List of Under-Secretaries-General
| # | Name | Nationality | Office entered | Office left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Eliasson | Sweden | 1992 | 1994 |
| 2 | Peter Hansen | Denmark | 1994 | 1996 |
| 3 | Yasushi Akashi | Japan | 1996 | 1998 |
| 4 | Sérgio Vieira de Mello | Brazil | 1998 | January 2001 |
| 5 | Kenzo Oshima | Japan | January 2001 | June 2003 |
| 6 | Jan Egeland | Norway | June 2003 | December 2006 |
| 7 | John Holmes | United Kingdom | January 2007[4] | September 2010 |
| 8 | Valerie Amos | United Kingdom | September 2010[5][6] | May 2015 |
| 9 | Stephen O'Brien | United Kingdom | May 2015[7] | September 2017 |
| 10 | Mark Lowcock | United Kingdom | September 2017[8] | July 2021 |
| 11 | Martin Griffiths | United Kingdom | July 2021 | Current |
- ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 46 Resolution 182. Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations A/RES/46/182 19 December 1991. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- ^ Patrick Wintour (May 12, 2021), Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths to take on top UN humanitarian job The Guardian.
- ^ Warren Hoge (February 10, 2007), U.N. Chief Gives Key Post to American New York Times.
- ^ Warren Hoge (February 10, 2007), U.N. Chief Gives Key Post to American New York Times.
- ^ "Daily Press Briefing by the Offices of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General". United Nations, Department of Public Information, News and Media Division. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ Nicholas Watt (July 9, 2010), Lady Amos given top UN humanitarian affairs job The Guardian.
- ^ Michelle Nichols (March 9, 2015), MP Stephen O'Brien named new U.N. aid chief Reuters.
- ^ Ben Parker (May 10, 2017), UK technocrat appointed UN humanitarian chief - reports The New Humanitarian.
- List of ERCs, United Nations Library