Swiss humanitarian expert Philippe Lazzarini has been selected to head up the embattled United Nations (UN) agency responsible for aid to Palestinian refugees.
On Wednesday, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced that he would be handing over the reins of UNRWA to Lazzarini who is currently the UN humanitarian chief for Lebanon.
Lazzarini will replace compatriot Pierre Krahenbuhl, who resigned in November after accusations of mismanagement. An internal UN investigation revealed concerns about allegations of possible sexual misconduct, nepotism and other abuses of authority at the agency.
Lazzarini has worked for more than 30 years in humanitarian assistance including coordinating international efforts in conflict and post-conflict situations for the UN and the International Committee for the Red Cross, among others. He has worked in several conflict regions including Somalia, Iraq, Angola and in the Palestinian Territories.
Cash strapped
UNRWA was established to aid the 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes, as well as their descendants. It provides basic needs and services to 5.5 million refugees and families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Since the US cut off funding to the UNRWA, the organisation has been under significant financial strain. The U.S. gave $360 million to the agency in 2017, but only $60 million in 2018 and nothing in 2019.
Last July, the Swiss foreign ministry decided to temporarily stop payments to UNRWA amid the claims of misconduct among its top management. The ministry resumed payments in December.
More
More
Switzerland resumes payments to Palestinian refugee agency
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has lifted its freeze on payments to UNRWA.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Swiss federal prosecutor bemoans shortage of investigators
This content was published on
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General complains of unresolved shortage of investigators that hinder its efforts to prosecute serious criminals.
ECHR condemns Swiss failure to protect woman from violence
This content was published on
Switzerland did not provide a woman with sufficient protection against her partner who had been violent in the past, rules the ECHR.
This content was published on
In Switzerland, 2.2 million people are affected by non-communicable diseases, partly because people are not eating a balanced diet.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss suspend payments to Palestinian refugee agency
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has decided to temporarily stop payments to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA replaces Swiss boss pending misconduct inquiry
This content was published on
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has announced the temporary suspension of its Swiss boss pending an misconduct inquiry.
Questions raised over UNRWA after Swiss-Israeli meeting
This content was published on
Israeli media: Swiss Foreign Minister Cassis and his Israeli counterpart discussed working together on alternative to UNWRA.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.