President Biden appointed Lise Grande to replace Ambassador David Satterfield as the Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday morning in a statement.
Biden created this position in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ attacks on October 7 to ” lead US regional diplomacy to surge humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Blinken said.
According to the statement, Grande recently served as President and CEO of the US Institute of Peace and has nearly three decades of overseas experience leading, managing, and coordinating large-scale, complex operations for the UN on difficult crises.
Grande’s past work
Grande has an extensive background working in Africa and the Middle East including as the head of UN humanitarian and development operations in Yemen, where she coordinated one of the UN’s largest operations globally, the statement said.
Grande was also responsible for the UN’s humanitarian, stabilization, and development operations while serving as deputy head of the UN’s political mission in Iraq during the campaign against ISIS, where she led UN efforts to stabilize the more than twenty cities that had been liberated from ISIS control.
“The provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Gaza needs to be increased and sustained. Lise’s unique experience overseeing similar endeavors in complex and dangerous circumstances will allow her to continue this round-the-clock effort,” Blinken said.
Blinken said the US will continue to pursue all possible avenues to ensure aid gets to the most vulnerable populations that need it and that humanitarian workers operating in the region are protected.
“As Special Envoy, Lise will work closely with USAID, other colleagues across our government, regional partners, and the Government of Israel to ensure this happens,” he added.
