UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday announced the appointment of Italian diplomat Filippo Grandi as the new UN refugee chief, tasked with handling the world's worst refugee crisis. The 58-year-old diplomat will replace Antonio Guterres, of Portugal, who was UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 2005, a UN statement said.
Grandi, who will take up the job on January 1, beat out former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and German Achim Steiner, the director of the UN Environment Program, for the key appointment. Thorning-Schmidt, who became an Internet sensation after snapping a selfie with President Barack Obama, had lobbied for the job since stepping down in June.
Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/
