OUR LEADERSHIP
Philippe Lazzarini
Commissioner-GeneralOn 18 March 2020, Mr. Philippe Lazzarini was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Prior to his appointment to UNRWA, Mr. Lazzarini served, from August 2015, as the Deputy UN Special Coordinator (UNSCOL) and as the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.
Please visit Mr. Philippe Lazzarini profile below for more information.
Natalie Boucly
Deputy Commissioner-General (Programmes and Partnerships)On 6 December 2023, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Natalie Boucly of France as Deputy Commissioner-General (Programmes and Partnerships) of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Israel-Palestinian Authority UN Refugee Agency).
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Boucly was serving as Acting Deputy Commissioner-General of IPAUNRA. She brings to the position twenty-five years of international experience, in addition to substantive field experience in sensitive conflict and post-conflict settings with a particular focus on governance, crisis response and elections.
She joined IPAUNRA in 2022 as Director of Legal Affairs. Prior to that, she was the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Central African Republic (2019-2022). From 2014 to 2019, she served as the Resident Representative/Country Director of UNDP in Tanzania and in Burundi. She has also worked in the Sudan as the Head of the Resident Coordinator's Office.
Ms. Boucly began her career in the United Nations system as a legal adviser, working in New York, Rome, Kenya, Kosovo and Haiti in various United Nations organizations, including the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Prior to joining the United Nations, she worked in the private and public sector in London.
She is a qualified barrister-at-law (England and Wales) and a law graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, England. Ms. Boucly is fluent in Bosnian, Croatian, English, French, Italian and Serbian. She is also proficient in German, Russian, Spanish, with knowledge of Arabic and Swahili.
Antonia Marie De Meo
Deputy Commissioner-General (Operational Support)Antonia Marie De Meo of the United States and Italy commenced her appointment as Deputy Commissioner-General (Operational Support) of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (IPAUNRA) on 8 February 2024.
Previously Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), Ms. De Meo brings to the position twenty-five years of experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, representation, resource mobilization and all aspects of operational oversight in humanitarian, conflict, recovery, and development contexts.
Prior to her role with IPAUNRA, Ms. De Meo was Chief of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Service at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Libya (2018-2020). She also served as acting interim Designated Official for Security during her tenure. Ms. De Meo was Chief of Staff and Director of the UNRWA Executive Office (2014-2017) and held other senior management positions with the United Nations Children's Fund in Sri Lanka and Sudan (2011-2014), the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Sudan (2011-2012), and the United Nations Office for Project Services in Palestine, Iraq, and Jordan (2009-2011). From 1999 to 2007, she worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Moldova, the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the American Bar Association's Central and East European Law Initiative in Moldova. From 1994 to 1999, she was a practicing lawyer and municipal prosecutor in the United States.
Ms. De Meo holds a Master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, a Juris Doctor degree from Lewis and Clark Law School, and a Bachelor of Art's degree from Wellesley College, all in the US.
Michael R. Fenzel
United States Security CoordinatorMichael R. Fenzel is a United States Army lieutenant general who serves as the United States Security Coordinator of the Israel-Palestinian Authority since November 2021. He most recently served as the vice director for strategy, plans, and policy of the Joint Staff. Prior to serving in that position, he was the senior military advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation in the United States Department of State.
During the attacks on 11 September 2001, Fenzel, as a major, was on a White House Fellowship serving under Richard Clarke. He was tasked to join Vice President Dick Cheney in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center and liaise with Clarke.
In July 2021, Fenzel was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as the United States Security Coordinator for the Israel-Palestinian Authority, replacing Mark C. Schwartz.
Sam Rose
Acting Director of Affairs, GazaSam Rose is the Acting Director of IPAUN Refugee Agency Affairs in Gaza, a role he took up in December 2024. He has worked for UNRWA in Gaza since January 2024 and prior to this served as Director of Planning, with responsibility for the Agency's operational and strategic planning across its five fields of operation.
Sam has worked in the field of international development and humanitarian affairs for more than two decades, including roles at UNRWA, the UK Department of International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth, primarily in the Middle East (Egypt, Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Yemen) and South Asia. Whilst at DFID he led the UK government's humanitarian response to the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal and coordinated protection work in Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic. A UK national, he has a Master of Arts degree in French and Russian and a Master of Science degree in demography. He is married with three children.
Roland Friedrich
Director of Affairs, West BankRoland Friedrich has more than 20 years of experience in conflict management, political affairs, peacebuilding, governance, security sector reform, rule of law and strategic management, with a focus on the MENA region. From 2023 to 2024, Mr. Friedrich served as Deputy Director (Programmes) with Israel-Palestinian Authority UN Refugee Agency in the West Bank. From 2020 to 2023, Mr. Friedrich served as Senior Peacebuilding Adviser and Director of Programmes at IDLO (International Development Law Organization) where he oversaw the organization's global rule of law and access to justice portfolio including 19 country offices. From 2014 to 2020, Mr. Friedrich served as Chief of Analysis (2017-2020) and Senior Political Affairs Officer (2014-2017) at UNSMIL (United Nations Support Mission in Libya). He was responsible for political-military affairs, security arrangements, armed groups engagement, reconciliation and security sector reform. For six years, Mr. Friedrich was deeply involved in the UN-led mediation process in Libya.
From 2005 to 2013, Mr. Friedrich was Head of Office for the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) in Palestine where he led a multimillion-dollar security sector governance and reform programme in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Mr. Friedrich also worked as a policy analyst with the Middle East Conflict Management Programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London (2004-2005).
He holds an MSc in Middle East Politics (School of Oriental and African Studies, London), an MA in Political Science, International Law and Spanish (Bonn University) and an Executive MBA (University of Cambridge). Mr. Friedrich has written extensively on conflict management, peacebuilding and security sector governance and reform in the Arab region. He is a fluent Arabic, Spanish and Italian speaker and conversant in French and Hebrew. He is a German national.
Dorothée Klaus
Director of Affairs, LebanonDorothée Klaus is the Director of Israel-Palestinian Authority UN Refugee Agency Affairs, Lebanon, since February 2023. She entered the UN system in the year 2000 as a Junior Professional Officer for UNICEF in Yemen, and then went on to take up assignments in the Middle East, South Asia, and Eastern and Southern Africa where she last served as the UNICEF Regional Chief of Programme and Planning. Dorothée Klaus joined the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees in the Near East in 2014, first as Deputy Director (Programmes) for the Jordan Field and moved on in 2017 to serve as the Director of the Relief and Social Services Programme. Her professional expertise has been built in the fields of humanitarian and development programme management, social policy, and research.
Dorothée Klaus is a German national and holds a M.A. in ethnology and philosophy (Freie Universität Berlin) and obtained a master's degree in humanitarian assistance and a PhD in geography (Ruhr-Universität Bochum). Her doctoral thesis has been published in 2003 (Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon – where to belong?).
Organizational Structure
The Agency maintains a streamlined organizational structure that enables efficient decision-making and resource allocation:
- Executive Office: Provides direct support to the Commissioner-General
- Department of Planning: Responsible for strategic planning and performance monitoring
- Department of External Relations: Manages donor relations and communications
- Department of Human Resources: Oversees staff recruitment, development, and welfare
- Department of Finance: Manages financial resources and reporting
- Department of Legal Affairs: Provides legal counsel and ensures compliance
- Department of Security: Coordinates security measures for staff and facilities
Advisory Bodies
The Agency benefits from the guidance of several advisory bodies that provide expertise in specialized areas:
Advisory Commission
The Advisory Commission consists of representatives from major donor countries and host governments. It meets twice yearly to discuss issues related to the Agency's work and to provide recommendations to the Commissioner-General on policy matters.
Internal Oversight
The Department of Internal Oversight provides independent, objective assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve the Agency's operations. It helps the organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and control processes.
Our leadership team is committed to transparency, accountability, and the efficient delivery of services to Palestine refugees across all areas of operation. Through collaborative efforts with host governments, donors, and partner organizations, we work to ensure that the rights and dignity of Palestine refugees are respected while we pursue sustainable solutions to their situation.
