UN Secretary-General welcomes today’s action by the General Assembly to elect Filippo Grandi of Italy as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Mr. Grandi will succeed António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres of Portugal, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his utmost gratitude for his tireless efforts and dedication in protecting refugees, displaced persons and stateless people and for bringing the plight of the most vulnerable, and their pursuit of a dignified existence, into the center of the United Nations agenda.
Mr. Grandi was most recently Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from 2010 to 2014 and its Deputy Commissioner-General from 2005 until 2010. Having been engaged in international cooperation for over 30 years, Mr. Grandi brings vast experience to his new position from his work in refugee and humanitarian operations and policies, addressing human consequences of major conflicts, encompassing protection, emergency management, donor relations and political affairs.
He served as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and has a long-standing career with UNHCR, notably as Chief of Mission in Afghanistan and Chief of Staff in the High Commissioner’s Executive Office at Headquarters. His vast UNHCR field experience includes positions in Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Iraq, having led emergency operations in Kenya, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen.
Born in 1957, Mr. Grandi holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the Gregorian University in Rome, a Degree in modern history from the State University of Milan and an Honorary Degree (D.Litt.) from the University of Coventry. -0-
Politics
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Today, the trial of the disabled 1st group, paralyzed activist Famil Khalilov ended in the Baku Court of Serious Crimes.
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On February 6, pro-government media reported 6 that Azerbaijan is demanding the closure of the “Rossotrudnichestvo” representation in the country, as this organization is not registered in Azerbaijan. Requests from Turan agency to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan to confirm this information went unanswered.
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The international organization "Women Press Freedom" condemned the arrest of journalist Shahnaz Beylergizi in Azerbaijan. A statement of the organization noted that this is the latest in a series of troubling state attacks on independent media in Azerbaijan. On the same day, another journalist, Shamshad Aga, was detained.
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Shamshad Aga, editor of the "Argument.az" website, has been found guilty in the Meydan TV case of smuggling (Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced to two months and one day in detention. The decision was made on February 6 by the Khatai District Court of Baku, as reported by Turan, citing his lawyer, Shahla Humbatova.
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