Well folks, the U.N. finally has a new relief chief, more than three months since the previous postholder Martin Griffiths stepped down.
And it’s bad news for those who’d been holding out hope that the job might go to someone other than a British man. Griffiths is being replaced by Tom Fletcher, who is currently principal of Hertford College, Oxford, but who previously served as the U.K.’s ambassador to Lebanon and as a foreign and development policy adviser to the U.K. government.
Fletcher could hardly be taking over at a more challenging time, with mounting crises in various parts of the world and a difficult funding environment. Some are concerned that while he has the diplomatic chops, his humanitarian experience is less strong. He’s also never led an organization anywhere near the size of UNOCHA.