JOHANNESBURG
Welcomed by some as a solid choice, the appointment of Martin Griffiths as the UN’s next humanitarian chief is seen by others as a missed opportunity for transforming an aid sector being urged to listen to – and become more representative of – affected people.
Diplomats and aid sources told The New Humanitarian that Griffiths, currently its peace envoy for Yemen, would later today be chosen to replace Mark Lowcock as the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator – the fifth Briton in a row to hold the post.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres picked Griffiths after two rounds of interviews, according to humanitarian officials familiar with the process. The post has been traditionally held by British people as part of a five-way division of key UN jobs between permanent UN Security Council members China, France, Russia, the UK, and the United States.