Roman Mazur, who runs the Floor4Africa local-development and crisis-intervention program, said on Tuesday he has filed his candidacy to become the next UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
He told private broadcaster TOK FM radio he submitted the application “some time ago,” noting the process took two weeks to complete.
Mazur ran in 2024 for the European Parliament on the centrist Third Way list. He said he is a UK resident with the right of permanent stay.
He also described himself as an external EU expert at the EU Agency for Asylum and president of the Association for International Education Policy, active since 2016.
Asked about the charitable work of Szymon Hołownia’s foundation Fabryka Dobra, which operates in parts of Africa, Mazur said such activity “may be impressive from a Polish perspective,” but added that assistance in Africa differs from “activating the labor market [and] local development.”
He argued the UNHCR role is not limited to providing food and shelter. “The biggest problem of UNHCR is what we deal with in Africa—reducing migration at its roots,” he said.
Floor4Africa, he explained, partners with local communities to build classroom floors and “school bridges”—walkways leading to school buildings—describing it as a simple, effective way to stimulate local labor markets. Research conducted alongside the program shows retention “on the spot” of “50% to 60%,” he said.
Mazur said he has not sought support from Poland’s foreign ministry for his bid, citing the government’s temporary suspension of the right to asylum at the border with Belarus. “I take a completely different position,” he said, adding that while home-government backing is usually crucial, “not in this case.” He said he is pursuing the post via an “expert track.”
Asked about his chances, Mazur said opportunities “always exist,” pointing to an expected sharp cut in UNHCR’s budget and describing himself as a specialist in “squeezing everything possible out of every penny.”
Created by the UN General Assembly in 1950, UNHCR leads international efforts to protect refugees and resolve their plight worldwide. The High Commissioner works to ensure access to asylum and safe haven, with options for voluntary return, local integration or resettlement, and is also mandated to assist stateless people.
The UN secretary-general oversees the selection, nominating one candidate for General Assembly approval.
(jh)
Source: PAP