The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced in a press release today that, following official communication by the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and consultations with the Agency’s Advisory Commission, Philippe Lazzarini has been appointed as its new Commissioner-General (CG). Lazzarini will assume the position that Christian Saunders has been acting in since November 2019, when the former UNRWA Commissioner-General resigned, it said. Guterres had recommended Lazzarini to lead the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) earlier this month, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The agency’s headquarters are divided between the Gaza Strip and Amman. Lazzarini brings to the position more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian assistance and international coordination in conflict and post-conflict areas, including in Gaza and East Jerusalem, in the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the private sector. He is currently the UN humanitarian chief for Lebanon. Lazzarini replaces former UNRWA commissioner-general Pierre Krahenbuhl, who resigned in November following a preliminary internal UN investigation that raised “management issues,” reflecting concerns over allegations of nepotism and other abuses of authority at the agency. The agency has been facing an unprecedented financial crisis, especially after the USA, which is the largest donor to UNRWA, halted its annual contribution of $300 million to the UN organization since the beginning of 2018. UNRWA was established to aid the 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the war surrounding Israel’s establishment in 1948. It now provides education, health care, food, and other services to 5.5 million refugees, their children and grandchildren in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.