UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Edem Wosornu of Ghana as assistant high commissioner for protection at the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), according to a statement released on Monday.

Wosornu will succeed Ruvendrini Menikdiwela of Sri Lanka. Guterres and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees expressed gratitude for Menikdiwela's service to the refugee cause, the UN spokesperson's office said.

The statement said Wosornu currently serves as director of the Crisis Response Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group.

"She brings to the position over two decades of experience in humanitarian affairs, including extensive leadership roles in emergency response and operational coordination," it added.

Held senior positions at UN

Before taking up her current role, Wosornu held several senior positions at UN headquarters and in the field with OCHA.

According to the statement, Wosornu began her UN career as an intern at the UNHCR and also worked in the private legal sector in the United Kingdom earlier in her career.