UNMIK/PR/760
Mr. Andrew Whitley, Director of the Office of Returns and Communities, will resign from UNMIK to accept an offer to serve as Director of External Affairs in UNRWA, the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees with HQ in Gaza. He will take up his new duties with UNRWA on 1 July 2002.
“I regret that Mr. Whitley is leaving the Mission,” said SRSG Michael Steiner. “I extend him our congratulations on his appointment to an important post in the field of refugee affairs. Since taking up his position as ORC Director in November 2001 Mr. Whitley has made a valuable contribution to the activation of this newly created Mission Office. He mobilized our efforts to achieve progress on one of UNMIK’s principal responsibilities under Security Council Resolution 1244. In addition to establishing the Office, Mr. Whitley activated the Advisory Board on Communities and made it into a valuable tool for organizing all elements of UNMIK, UN agencies, KFOR, and NGOs to support returns of IDP’s to Kosovo. He also initiated cooperative relations with FRY and Serbian Government authorities in Belgrade on returns issues and met extensively with displaced persons outside of Kosovo to prepare them for return to their homes.”
Mr. Saber Azam will serve as Acting Director of ORC until the new head of the Office of Returns arrives in the Mission.
“I know that we will all miss Mr. Whitley on our team, but we wish him the best in his new appointment,” the SRSG said.
