Mr. Amin Awad

Amin Awad has been engaged in humanitarian action with the United Nations for almost 30 years and has distinguished himself in some of the most challenging operations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia.
 

Awad is the Director of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Bureau at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) based in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as the Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Syria and Iraq Situations. In his dual capacity, he leads the UN Refugee Agency’s humanitarian response in the Middle East and North Africa. Responsible for over $10 billion over the past four years, he coordinates over 9,000 staff and 240 partners delivering protection and humanitarian aid to some 20 million displaced people in the region in the context of some of the most severe displacement crises of the century.

 

Awad’s career in the United Nations began in 1989. Since then, he has held a series of managerial positions in the field and at headquarters during many of the mega-crises of the 1990s, including in the former Soviet Union, the Former Yugoslavia and in the midst of the first and second Gulf Wars. He also served in leadership roles in Yemen, Jordan, Somalia, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka operating in trying security environments and sensitive political contexts.

His functions have encompassed emergency management, refugee assistance, reform implementation, global supply chain oversight, as well as political nego- tiation and development cooperation.

Awad holds a BA in Political Science and completed higher studies in International De- velopment Administration.