The incoming humanitarian czar at the United Nations, Tom Fletcher, told U.N. staff members he will embark on something of a listening tour in the weeks before he formally takes charge of the world’s premier relief coordination agency in mid-November. He sought to assure staff members that he preferred a collaborative, rather than a top-down, managerial style.
“My leadership approach is ‘how do we fix this together?’, not ‘follow me,’” he wrote in an internal email shared with U.N. staffers and the heads of top aid agencies. “I will start by learning, traveling and listening to you and our partners, to the communities and people we serve. I will be asking you from day one what we do well; what we can do even better; and strive to simplify, not complicate.”
Fletcher, a former U.K. diplomat who served as an adviser to three prime ministers, is the sixth British national to lead the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, since 2007. He replaces Martin Griffiths, a former U.N. troubleshooter who stepped down from the job at the end of June, citing the struggles of managing the U.N.’s far-flung responsibilities while grappling with the debilitating symptoms of long COVID.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
