"Mr. O'Brien brings to the position extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and advocacy, together with international leadership and management, in the coordination of collective action within the humanitarian community, notably in the fight against malaria and neglected tropical diseases, and his significant contribution to his country achieving the United Nations-endorsed target of 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance," the UN said in a statement published on its website.
O'Brien is currently the Member of Parliament for Eddisbury, a Privy Counsellor and the Prime Minister's Envoy and United Kingdom's Special Representative for the Sahel zone in Africa.
The UN stressed that O'Brien had 20 years of experience in international development and health care, calling him a strong humanitarian advocate.
The previous Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs was Valerie Amos, also from the United Kingdom.
