UNHCR welcomes new appointments to senior leadership team

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UNHCR welcomes new appointments to senior leadership team

8 June 2026 Also available in:

GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih today welcomed the appointment of Tressa Rae Finerty as Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Antón Leis García as Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, and Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.

The appointments were announced today by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The three officials are expected to assume their functions in the coming weeks.

The Deputy High Commissioner and the two Assistant High Commissioners for Operations and Protection constitute the most senior positions in UNHCR supporting the High Commissioner in leading the organization’s global efforts to protect and assist refugees, stateless people and others forced to flee.

“I warmly welcome these appointments and look forward to working closely with Tressa, Anton and Edem,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih. “Their leadership, experience and commitment will be invaluable as UNHCR responds to displacement challenges around the world. Together, we will work to continue strengthening protection, expanding opportunities for self-reliance and pursuing lasting solutions that help refugees rebuild their lives with dignity.”

Ms. Finerty is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently serving as the Chargé d’Affaires for the United States Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. Prior to her current role, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Geneva and as Deputy Executive Secretary in the Office of the United States Secretary of State. As part of the Foreign Service, she has also served in several positions at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York and at U.S. embassies in Malaysia, Iraq, Armenia and Thailand. She has also taught courses on refugee policy at New York University and Georgetown University.

Mr. Leis García currently serves as Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Spain’s development and humanitarian agency. Prior to his current role, he held several senior positions at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the General Secretariat for International Affairs, EU, G20 and Global Security of the Office of the President of the Spanish Government, as well as international financial institutions such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group.

Ms. Wosornu currently serves as Director of Crisis Response Division at the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group. Prior to her current role, she held several senior positions in HQ and in the field within OCHA. Her UN journey began as an intern in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and before that she worked in the private legal sector in the United Kingdom.

The newly appointed officials will succeed Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner; Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations; and Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, whose terms are concluding.

“The organization owes a profound debt of gratitude to Kelly, Raouf and Ruven for their exceptional service and dedication,” Salih said. “Their leadership has strengthened UNHCR’s ability to protect and assist millions of displaced and stateless people around the world.”