Edem Wosornu was appointed Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in June 2026. She previously served as Director of the Crisis Response Division of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), overseeing OCHA’s global operations, and chaired the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group. She started her United Nations career with UNHCR as a legal protection intern in London. Her OCHA roles include Head of Office in Nigeria and Somalia and, at Headquarters, Chief of the Response Support Branch in Geneva, Chief of the Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Guidance Section, Chief of Section for Asia and the Pacific in the Coordination and Response Division, and Lead of the Political Engagement Team for the World Humanitarian Summit. She also worked in humanitarian financing, the private legal sector, and advisory functions. She holds a postgraduate diploma in legal studies from the College of Law in London, a master’s in international banking and finance law from University College London, and a bachelor’s in law from the University of Hull. Photo credit: ©UNHCR Photo Unit