2nd LD Writethru: UN General Assembly endorses appointment of Italian diplomat Grandi as UN refugee chief

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 for a term of five years.

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) -- the agency he will lead -- including having taken various positions in Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Iraq.

On behalf of the Asia-Pacific group, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, congratulated Grandi on being elected as High Commissioner for Refugees.

"We believe that Mr. Grandi will benefit from his extensive experience in the field of refugee issue in the United Nations when fulfilling his responsibilities as the high commissioner," said Liu.

"Given the current complex refugee situation, the international community will greatly benefit from his leadership and deep knowledge of the issue of international refugee," he said.

"We also believe that Mr. Grandi will keep close communication and cooperation with member states and take full care of other concerns," he added. Enditem