The race for the world’s top United Nations refugee job could not have come at a worse time for refugees, who are facing record levels of human displacement. The UN Refugee Agency, one that champions their cause, is facing funding shortfalls and severe political headwinds. In the past year, the agency has laid off about 5,000 workers, and its budget has fallen by more than $1 billion since 2024.
“The cost is borne by refugees themselves,” said Dr. Joanne Liu, a Canadian emergency pediatric physician and former international president of Médecins Sans Frontières, who has joined a packed slate of candidates seeking to lead the Geneva-based organization through an unprecedented crisis. Liu said her experience as both a medical field worker and leader of the world’s premier medical relief agency, with more than 65,000 employees, makes her specially suited for the role.
“I’m someone who has worked at the front line of crises, and I’ve worked with refugees, and I think I’m the one rare candidate who [has] done that … for more than 30 years of my life,” she told Devex as part of a series of interviews with the candidates. “I know how to fundraise from states and the private sector. This is what I’m bringing to the table.”
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.
