UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths is stepping down due to health concerns after attempting to address the escalating humanitarian crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and Africa for nearly three years.
Griffiths said he had notified Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of his plan to resign in June.
Griffiths to Step Down in June
On Monday, Griffiths posted on X, formerly Twitter, "To everyone at UNOCHA, it's been the privilege of my life. I am deeply in your debt. To all partners and supporters, thank you for championing the cause of people in crises."
Earlier this month, he told The Associated Press that he had been facing a severe case of COVID-19 in October and is still suffering from COVID.
The under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs has been pressing Israel to permit humanitarian aid to reach Gaza in recent months. The region has been severely restricted from receiving aid supplies and has been devastated by an Israeli military assault that lasted more than five months.
Several NGOs and human rights groups have accused Israel of deliberately blocking aid to Gaza as reports of starvation in the beleaguered strip increase. Israel has denied the accusations.
Griffiths warned Israel last month, saying that an Israeli operation could lead to a slaughter, in response to protests against a planned assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
He wrote in an op-ed for Al Jazeera in February that the October 7 attacks on Israel were horrific. He condemned them repeatedly and said that they could not justify what was happening to every single child, woman, and man in Gaza.
Furthermore, he has also raised the alarm about other ongoing global humanitarian crises.
This month, he warned that the next few months could bring about catastrophic starvation for around five million people in Sudan.
However, he has also faced criticism for his efforts.
Civil society organizations claimed that during his August trip to war-torn Myanmar, he had not achieved significant advancements in humanitarian aid and had instead given legitimacy to military coup leaders who had "weaponized" aid.
Following his visit, Griffiths issued a statement calling on the military to improve access to humanitarian relief. He pointed out that a third of Myanmar's population needed assistance due to crises.
He noted that they need better access to help them safely every week.
Griffiths on Combating Humanitarian Crisis Worldwide
In 1994, Griffiths was the director of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva before establishing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which he currently leads.
From 1999 to 2010, he served as the first director of the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, where the UN reported that he was an expert in fostering political communication between governments and insurgents in various countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Griffiths held several positions in the UN system, including the deputy head of the UN mission in Syria from 2012 to 2014 during the early years of the current conflict there, special adviser to three UN special envoys for Syria, and inaugural executive director of the European Institute of Peace from 2014 to 2018.
He also had previously served as a British diplomat and worked for several international aid agencies, such as Action Aid, UNICEF, and Save the Children.
