Senior appointment tension between the US administration and UNHCR

There is tension between the US administration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees due to a high-level appointment.

It was stated that US diplomat Tressa Rae Finerty, who started her duty as UNHCR Deputy Director this month, was unable to contact officials in Washington directly due to post-duty restrictions imposed on former US government employees.

According to diplomatic sources, Finerty has been on leave while he requests an exemption from the US government to perform some parts of his duties.

It was reported that Finerty requested partial exemption so that he could attend multilateral meetings, especially those attended by US State Department officials.

UNHCR also confirmed that Finerty had applied to the US administration at the end of last month.

In the statement made by the institution, it was stated that the process is expected to be concluded quickly and positively, and it was emphasized that UNHCR's operations and reform efforts are continuing.

Some diplomatic sources evaluate that the US administration's attitude towards Finerty may be a reaction to UNHCR's appointment of another name instead of Washington's preferred candidate, Simon Hankinson.

However, this claim has not been confirmed by the US administration.

The US State Department stated that it could not comment on ongoing legal matters.

The ministry spokesman stated that Washington works with UNHCR only in areas that overlap with US foreign policy interests.

Finerty previously served as chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

Post-employment restrictions imposed on former U.S. government employees limit certain official contacts to prevent conflicts of interest.

However, diplomats and UN employees state that exemptions are often granted routinely in similar cases, which is why Finerty's application was not finalized, which is why it was considered unusual.

The Vice Presidency of UNHCR is considered one of the critical positions in the institution's relations with major donor countries.

For this reason, it is considered that Finerty's inability to establish direct contact with US officials may complicate the institution's efforts to obtain financing from Washington.

The tension comes as UNHCR faces a serious funding crisis.

The USA had been one of the largest donors of the institution for many years. While Washington's contribution to UNHCR in 2025 was over 800 million dollars, it was reported that US funding this year decreased to approximately 110 million dollars.

It was stated that $89 million of this amount came directly from the US government, and the rest came from companies and individual donors.

UNHCR estimates that the total funds available to it in 2026 may remain at just over $3 billion.

It is stated that this amount is 15 percent lower than last year and 43 percent lower than 2024.

The financial contraction, experienced at a time when the number of displaced people on a global scale is at record levels, increases the pressure on the institution to continue its activities.