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1st LD: UN General Assembly endorses appointment of Italian diplomat Grandi as UN refugee chief

Xinhua, November 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday endorsed the appointment of Filippo Grandi of Italy as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft announced the endorsement.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, after consultations with chairs of the regional groups of UN member states, informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Grandi as the new UN refugee chief, tasked with dealing with the world's worst ever refugee crisis.

Grandi is to succeed Antonio Guterres of Portugal on Jan. 1.

From 2010 to 2014, Grandi was head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA. He also possesses vast field experience with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), including having taken various positions in Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. Enditem