The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator is a high-level position in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

that heads the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991 by the General Assembly to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disaster ...

. The position has been held since October 2024 by Thomas Fletcher, the sixth Briton in a row to serve in the role.

History

The post of

Under-Secretary-General An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under-s ...

for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) was created by

UN resolution A United Nations resolution (UN resolution) is a formal text adopted by a United Nations (UN) body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly, in the f ...

46/182 in December 1991 to coordinate the efforts of the

, 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 The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

; since 2007, six British nationals have been appointed to that position. Before 2007, British nationals held the position of Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for more than a decade.Warren Hoge (February 10, 2007)
U.N. Chief Gives Key Post to American
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

List of Under-Secretaries-General

References

External links

List of ERCs
United Nations Library Emergency management United Nations Secretariat United Nations posts {{disaster-stub