NEW YORK, United States — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Ghanaian humanitarian leader Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN announced on Monday.
Wosornu succeeds Ruvendrini Menikdiwela of Sri Lanka, who is stepping down after years of service to the global refugee agency.
In a statement released through the UN spokesperson’s office, Guterres and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees expressed appreciation for Menikdiwela’s contribution to refugee protection and humanitarian work.
Wosornu currently serves as Director of the Crisis Response Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), where she oversees emergency response operations in some of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.
She also chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group, a key coordination platform for international humanitarian action.
The United Nations said Wosornu brings more than two decades of experience in humanitarian affairs to her new role, having held senior leadership positions in emergency response, crisis management, and operational coordination across the UN system.
“She brings to the position over two decades of experience in humanitarian affairs, including extensive leadership roles in emergency response and operational coordination,” the statement said.
Before assuming her current responsibilities at OCHA, Wosornu served in several senior positions at both UN headquarters and field operations, managing humanitarian interventions in regions affected by conflict, displacement, and natural disasters.
Her appointment also marks a notable milestone in a career that began at the UN refugee agency itself. According to the statement, Wosornu started her United Nations career as an intern at UNHCR before rising through the ranks of the international humanitarian system.
Prior to joining the United Nations, she worked in the private legal sector in the United Kingdom, building expertise that later informed her work in humanitarian protection and international affairs.
As Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Wosornu will play a central role in shaping UNHCR’s global response to refugee crises, statelessness, asylum protection, and forced displacement at a time when the number of displaced people worldwide remains at record levels.
