26 November 2014: Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will be stepping down from her position, from which she leads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), effective 31 March 2015. Amos announced her resignation to OCHA staff in a letter on 26 November, while UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his “utmost gratitude” for her service to the UN, the humanitarian community and people in need.

Amos took up the post in September 2010, and led the UN’s relief efforts following Typhoon Hyain in the Philippines, also working “tirelessly” on humanitarian crises related to conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, among others, Ban said. He added that she has led preparations for the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, which is expected to identify innovative ways to tackle humanitarian needs and set a new agenda for global humanitarian action.

Amos writes that she is now “the longest serving Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator,” and expresses pride that OCHA has “speeded up response times, improved coordination, and reduced duplication.”

The announcement of Amos’ resignation was followed by calls for an open, transparent and competitive process to select her successor, including from the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN. [Statement of UN Secretary-General] [Head of OCHA Webpage] [Norway Message] [Letter to Staff] [Tweets about Amos’ Resignation]