UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday appointed Pierre Krahenbuhl as new commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Krahenbuhl will replace outgoing UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi, the refugee agency said on its website.
Ki-moon thanked Grandi for his contributions to the implementation of the UNRWA's mandate and for his "outstanding dedication and commitment to the Palestinian people."
A Swiss national, Krahenbuhl has served as Director of Operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since 2002. From 2000 to 2002, he served as personal advisor to the president of the ICRC.
Since its establishment in 1949, one year after the creation of Israel, the UNRWA has been tasked with providing assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The UNRWA provides services in the fields of education, healthcare, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
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