DATE / TIME:

2020•03•10    15:00 - 17:00

Location:

Kuala Lumpur

The UNU-IIGH “Working Local, Thinking Global: Engaging Evidence in Policy Making towards the SDGs” seminar series aim to provide a forum for intellectual discussion about the work of the UN, and create an opportunity for bringing together various academics, researchers, and civil societies across Malaysia to meet and engage with relevant counterparts in the UNCT.

Mr Thomas Albrecht will share his reflections on over thirty years of refugee protection with UNHCR.

For those who wish to join us via webinar, please register here for the Zoom link.

Speaker

Mr Thomas Albrecht has taken up his assignment as Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur in early 2019. Mr Albrecht’s role is to work with governments and other partners to ensure all persons of concern to UNHCR, including refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons, receive protection, assistance and durable solutions to their plight. He is also keen to promote long-term cooperation on the protection of persons of concern in the region and to increase understanding and support for refugees worldwide.

Mr Albrecht previously served as Regional Representative in Canberra from 2014 to 2018, with geographical responsibility for the region, which includes Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Mr Albrecht joined UNHCR in 1987 and worked in refugee situations in the East and Horn of Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, the Americas as well as Eastern and Central Europe. These operations related to refugee protection, emergencies, capacity building efforts as well as the advancement of durable solutions for refugees, with particular emphasis on people orientation, empowerment, gender equality, the sustainability of initiatives and results-based management. Mr Albrecht was also posted at UNHCR’s Headquarters in Geneva, where he worked in the Department of International Protection. As part of his assignment, he served as the principal editor of the UNHCR Resettlement Handbook, the authoritative guide to third-country resettlement policy and practice. Mr Albrecht was also involved in designing the new operations management system for the Organization. These assignments were complemented by missions throughout the world.