Mr. Griffiths served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs for three years.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations humanitarian chief who played a key role in seeking aid for the Gaza Strip and led early efforts in Yemen, has announced that he is resigning due to ill health.
Griffiths, who served as director and emergency relief coordinator for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for three years, said he informed Secretary-General António Guterres of his intention to resign in June.
“Dear UNOCHA, this has been the privilege of my life. I am deeply indebted to you. To all our partners and supporters, thank you for championing the cause of people in crisis.” he said in a post on social media platform X on Monday.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs has repeatedly pressed Israel in recent months to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been devastated by more than five months of Israeli military offensives and severe restrictions on aid supplies.
As I told you in my third year with the company, @antonioguterres He announced his intention to retire in June.
To all of you @Unocha, it was a privilege in my life. I feel deeply indebted to you.
Thank you to all our partners and supporters for championing the cause of people in crisis.
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) March 25, 2024
Several NGOs and rights groups have accused Israel of deliberately blocking aid to Gaza, amid mounting warnings of famine in the besieged area. Israel denies the accusations.
Mr Griffiths last month warned Israel not to ignore voices of opposition to a planned attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where 1.5 million Palestinians have fled, saying the Israeli operation “could lead to genocide”. he warned.
“The October 7th attack on Israel was horrific and I have repeatedly condemned it and will continue to condemn it. ” Griffith wrote in an op-ed for Al Jazeera in February.
He also sounded the alarm about other ongoing humanitarian crises around the world.
This month, he warned that around 5 million people in Sudan could suffer from devastating hunger in the coming months.
He has also faced criticism for his work.
After his visit to war-torn Myanmar in August last year, civil society groups said his visit had not made any significant progress on humanitarian aid and provided legitimacy to the military coup leaders who had “weaponized aid”. He claimed to have given it.
In a statement following his visit, Mr Griffiths said that one-third of Myanmar's population is in need of aid due to a series of crises, and called on the military to improve access to humanitarian relief.
“We need better access to help them safely every day and every week,” he said.
Mr Griffiths previously served as the UN special envoy for Yemen and as an advisor on Syria.
He has also worked for other international humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children and ActionAid.
