Secretary-General Appoints Melissa Fleming of United States Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Melissa Fleming of the United States as the next Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.

She succeeds Alison Smale of the United Kingdom, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her commitment and dedicated service to the Organization.

Ms. Fleming brings to the position more than 25 years of strategic vision, innovative management and communications expertise in multilateral organizations spanning the fields of human rights, humanitarian action, conflict prevention, peacebuilding, free media and nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security.

Since 2009, Ms. Fleming has been Head of Global Communications and Spokesperson in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva.  While there, she led global media outreach campaigns, social media engagement and a multimedia news service serving audiences ranging from media, public, donors, Governments and refugees themselves.

Ms. Fleming joined UNHCR from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where she served for eight years as Spokesperson and Head of Media and Outreach.  Before IAEA, she headed the Press and Public Information team at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).  Earlier still, she served as Public Affairs Specialist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich, Germany.

Having begun her career as a journalist, Ms. Fleming held the position of Senior Adviser and Spokesperson on the transition team of the current Secretary-General from 2016 to 2017.

She holds a Master of Science in journalism from the College of Communication, Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts in German studies from Oberlin College, Ohio, United States.