UNITED NATIONS, Safar 07, 1437, November 19, 2015, SPA -- The U.N. General Assembly Wednesday elected Filippo Grandi of Italy as the next high commissioner for refugees for a period of five years beginning January 1, 2016. The Office of the President of the U.N. General Assembly said in a statement that Grandi was elected “by acclamation.” He will take over from Antonio Guterres of Portugal. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the assembly’s action, and expressed gratitude to Guterres “for his tireless efforts and dedication in protecting refugees, displaced persons and stateless people and for bringing the plight of the most vulnerable, and their pursuit of a dignified existence, into the center of the United Nations agenda.” Grandi was commissioner-general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from 2010 to 2014 and has served with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). --SPA 11:59 LOCAL TIME 08:59 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w