UN General Assembly extends mandate for High Commissioner Grandi

GENEVA – The United Nations General Assembly today renewed the mandate of Filippo Grandi as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for a further two-and-a-half-year-period.

The extension of Grandi’s mandate follows a recommendation by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the General Assembly.

High Commissioner Grandi, welcoming the decision of the General Assembly, said that he was deeply honoured by the trust and support of all UN member states and the Secretary-General.

“I’m humbled by this decision,” said Grandi. “I see it as a clear recognition of UNHCR staff’s efforts to protect and help the refugees, internally displaced and stateless people who are at the heart of what we do.”

Filippo Grandi, a 63-year-old Italian national, is the 11th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He was first elected by the UN General Assembly on 1 January 2016 to serve a five-year term after a 30-year career working in refugee affairs for the United Nations.

Established in 1950, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of their plight. UNHCR has been twice awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its humanitarian work – in 1954 and in 1981.