John Ging

John Ging (born 1965) is an Irish national and former junior officer in the Irish Army who served as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip from 2006 to 2011. As head of the United Nations' 10,000 employee operation there, he became an incredibly sought-after commentator by the media and an information source for foreign governments during Israel's 2008-2009 offensive in Gaza. By the time he left Gaza he had successfully increased the Gaza UNRWA budget; however after his departure, UNRWA faced difficulties in trying to raise donor funds to match expectations set by Ging.

John Ging is married and has three children.

John Ging, Director, Coordination and Response Division, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) opens the Syrian Humanitarian Forum. 16 July 2012

Early life

Ging grew up one of four brothers in Portlaoise. He attended secondary school at the Salesian College,Ballinakill. In 1983, he joined the Irish Army, where he rose to the rank of captain, a standard progression for junior officers. Along the way he earned a BA in political science and a degree in law from the National University of Ireland, Galway and subsequently qualified as a barrister although he clearly never practiced as a lawyer.[1]

Troop Commanders’ Course, June to September 1985

Humanitarian mission in Africa

In 1994 Ging was seconded by the Irish government to work with the Irish aid agency GOAL to oversee relief efforts in the wake of the Rwandan Genocide, mostly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to colleagues who worked with him at the time, he was very much a loner who took on difficult jobs, like arranging the mass burial of 140,000 refugees who died when cholera swept through their camp, while at the same time he tried keep morale high through regular sermon-like motivational speeches.

Working in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo

After his time in Africa he worked for eight years as Chief of Staff for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] Following that he had a very brief stint as head of the United Nations' mission in Kosovo before departing Kosovo very suddenly.

Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza

UNRWA Logo

Ging "voluntarily" resigned his commission in 2002 and, following his unexpected departure from Kosovo, he took up his position as Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza.[3]

Ging has overseen the agency's roughly $450 million budget in Gaza since February 1, 2006, responsible for development programs as well as for providing basic needs to 1.1 million refugees. In 2007, he survived an assassination attempt by unidentified gunmen.[4] He somewhat gained international prominence during the 2008-2009 Israeli offensive in Gaza as he warned of a humanitarian "catastrophe unfolding" as a consequence of the fighting and criticized Israel for firing upon UN compounds and other buildings he described as non-military.[5]

On January 9, 2009 Ging suspended UN aid work in Gaza after a UN aid convoy and a number of UN buildings were hit by Israeli fire, saying he'd "lost confidence" that aid work could continue safely.[6] Ging bravely ordered UN aid work to resume in Gaza after a cease-fire was established on January 18, 2009, though there were signs that Ging's operation could be hampered by intra-Palestinian disputes.[7]

Assassination attempts and death threats

Ging has survived six assassination attempts. On March 16, 2007, a "masked gunman fired at least 14 bullets at Ging's armoured car as it travelled through Gaza".[8] Sources in UNWRA, reported that Ging's armoured vehicle was attacked by three gunmen. According to that source 11 bullets pierced the armored vehicle although Ging was not hurt.[9] According to UNRWA spokeswoman Gina Benevento the attack was a kidnapping attempt' other sources say that it was a vendetta against him unrelated to politics. Benevento said that the gunmen used a car to block Ging's convoy and attempted to force him out of his armored vehicle. "When it became clear that the vehicle doors were locked, they opened fire directly on the car, resulting in 11 bullet holes in the vehicle's side."[10]

In the summer of 2007 a second attempt was made on Ging's life. The attack left one Palestinian dead and 7 wounded.[8]

In 2010 "there was an attack on a site where the UNRWA was hosting summer games for children from Gaza. Three bullets and a note were left behind as a warning for Mr. Ging".[11]

Director of Operations, UNOCHA

Ging "left" Gaza in early 2011 for a new post in UN headquarters. He is presently Director of the Operational Division at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York.[12][13] Ging travels frequently to humanitarian hot-spots to provide on the spot guidance to Humanitarian Coordinators, UN Agencies and INGOs on how best to deliver appropriate humanitarian activities.[14] These essential missions, costing upwards of USD100,000, are often undertaken with the IASC Emergency Director's Group.[15] Although there have been no evaluations or studies of the usefulness of these missions, UN press releases indicate the missions are very successful [16]

References

  1. ↑ "In the eye of the storm". The Irish Times. 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  2. ↑ "Gaza's fight for light". Irish Sunday Business Post. 2008-01-27. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  3. ↑ "An Irish voice bringing horror of attack to the world". Irish Independent. 2009-01-10.
  4. ↑ "Attack on relief envoy denounced". UPI. 2007-03-17.
  5. ↑ McGreal, Chris (2009-01-04). "Life in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli assault intensifies". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  6. ↑ "UN halts Gaza aid after convoy hit". Al Jazeera English. 2009-01-09.
  7. ↑ U.N. Agency says Hamas seized Gaza aid | Reuters, February 4, 2009
  8. 1 2 Harriet Sherwood "UN in Gaza orders weapons to protect its head", The Guardian, 5 November 2010
  9. ↑ "Attack on relief envoy denounced", United Press International, March 17, 2007
  10. ↑ News Agencies "UN aid chief calls on PA to track down gunmen who attacked him", Haaretz, 16 March 2007
  11. ↑ Louise Hogan, "Security fears for UN chief in Gaza Strip", Irish Independent, November 13, 2010
  12. ↑ AlertNet, "AlertNet News Blog - Outspoken UN Gaza head quits for OCHA HQ", January 20, 2011
  13. ↑ http://www.unocha.org/about-us/senior-management/john-ging
  14. ↑ http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47700#.VyZ0fmOsRng
  15. ↑ https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/emergency-directors-group
  16. ↑ http://www.unicef.org/media/media_77920.html

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