Baroness Valerie Amos appointment to United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
Media release
14 July 2010
Australia welcomes the appointment of Baroness Valerie Amos as United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Baroness Amos will lead the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations agency mandated to coordinate humanitarian action during global crises.
Baroness Amos is well qualified for the role. I look forward to working with her in the future in her new capacity.
Baroness Amos is currently the United Kingdom's High Commissioner to Australia and has worked very effectively representing her Government in Australia.
Australia works very closely with OCHA as one of our key United Nations partners. Australia is currently the Chair of the OCHA Donor Support Group.
In December 2008 Australia signed a four-year $26 million Strategic Partnership Agreement with OCHA. In 2010 we are providing $6 million in core funding to OCHA. Australia makes additional contributions to OCHA for disaster responses such as in Haiti.
Australia has also committed $60 million over the next four years to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is managed by OCHA and provides immediate funding for aid agencies to respond to humanitarian disasters and crises.
We look forward to continuing Australia's close work with OCHA under Baroness Amos' leadership.
Baroness Amos succeeds John Holmes. I commend Mr Holmes for his dedicated service to the United Nations, his leadership in humanitarian affairs and his cooperation with Australia.
Media inquiries
- Minister's Office: (02) 6277 7500
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555
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