Tom Fletcher takes helm as top UN humanitarian official

(New York, 18 November 2024) Tom Fletcher has taken office as the new Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. He is the 12th person to take this role since the creation of what is now the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“I am under no illusions as to how tough a mission this is,” said Fletcher. “The impact on civilians of conflict, climate change, inequality and injustice is growing at a staggering rate. I will defend our humanitarian movement and humanitarian values, and battle to make us more efficient, strategic, inclusive and innovative. We must win afresh the argument for international solidarity." 

Prior to taking up this role, Fletcher was Principal of Hertford College, Oxford, and Vice Chair of Oxford University’s Conference of Colleges.

He also served as the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Lebanon, as Foreign and Development Policy Adviser to three United Kingdom Prime Ministers, and as the Prime Minister’s lead mediator on Northern Ireland. 

Fletcher has worked closely with the United Nations during his diplomatic career in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, having served in various capacities in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Service. 

He also served as Global Strategy Director of the Global Business Coalition for Education, chaired the UK Creative Industries Federation, and has published books on the future of diplomacy and education.

Fletcher holds a Master of Arts degree in Modern History from the University of Oxford. He served as Visiting Professor at New York University and Emirates Diplomatic Academy. He is fluent in English and French and has a good working knowledge of Arabic and Swahili.

For further information, please contact:

In New York, Eri Kaneko, kaneko@un.org, +1 917 208 8910

In Geneva, Jens Laerke, laerke@un.org, +41 79 472 9750