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Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator is a high-level position in the United Nations that heads the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator of the
United Nations

General Assembly Resolution 46/182.[1]
December 1991

The current holder is Martin Griffiths of the United Kingdom, who took office in July 2021, following his appointment by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

History[edit]

The post of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) was created by UN resolution 46/182 in December 1991 to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations, member states and the wider humanitarian community in response to natural and man-made emergencies.


The post is one of five cabinet-level UN positions that are traditionally held by nationals from the five permanent members of the Security Council; since 2007, five British nationals have been appointed to that position.[2] Before 2007, British nationals held the position of Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for more than a decade.[3]

United Nations Library

List of ERCs